Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

State transportation department wants out of local street business

CARSON CITY — The state will make another attempt to turn over to local governments the responsibility and cost of maintaining nearly 1,000 miles of roadway across Nevada.

At its meeting today, the state Transportation Board, chaired by Gov. Brian Sandoval, directed that a letter be sent to cities and counties asking them to accept what state officials believe are a local responsibilities. The board recently sent such a letter but got no response.

Numerous state routes — obvious examples in Las Vegas are Charleston Boulevard and Tropicana and Sahara avenues — are more local thoroughfare than state highway. Still, the cost of maintaining the roadways is paid from state coffers. The cost of maintaining the routes: $14 million a year.

But state officials said it's more than the money that's caused them to take action.

"This is not about budget, it's about fairness," Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki said. "This is not about squeezing pennies."

Jeff Fontaine, director of the Nevada Association of counties, said counties are no better equipped financially than the state to pay to care for the roads. There should be exchange of responsibility, he said.

This "can't be a one way street," said Fontaine, a former state director of transportation.

Scott Rawlins, deputy state transportation director, said there has been some talk about the state taking over the portions of the Las Vegas beltway maintained by Clark County and, in exchange, the county would assume responsibility for Tropicana and Sahara avenues.

The governor said that Reno may be more amenable to assuming responsibility for state roads since its city manager and financial director are former state executives.

But Transportation Director Susan Martinovich told the board the city has already asked the state to take over more of its local roads.

Rawlins said the state in the past had asked for a legal opinion over whether the state could abandon the local roads that it maintains, but an opinion from the state attorney general's office said it would be illegal. In response to a question from the governor, Rawlins said the state is "stuck" with the streets but could try to work out exchanges.

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