Southern Nevadans should not count on taxpayer handouts to pay for the bulk of a planned $400 million highway bypass around Boulder City, a leading federal transportation official said Thursday.

Instead, Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino said local officials should consider making a toll road out of the proposed U.S. Highway 93 bypass around the town's southern edge, or involving the private sector in the project.

"There's never going to be enough money. We have to think innovatively," Cino said during a Thursday visit to Boulder City, where she was scheduled to meet with local officials and U.S. Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., about the bypass plan.

"There are many investment companies excited about talking to the state for Nevada about public-private partnerships," Cino said.

The visit came just one day after Porter publicly proposed that Nevada consider toll lanes along Interstate 15 outside Las Vegas and for the bypass. Currently, there are no toll roads in the Silver State.

"I'm not a fan of tolling roads, but I'm for looking at innovative solutions," Porter said. "I think it's a very strong, viable option that should be given serious consideration.

"We need to make sure we can jump start this project," Porter said. "We're trying to find a way."

The comments also come as a blue ribbon state task force wraps ups its deliberations on how best to fill a nearly $4 billion funding gap for road projects deemed necessary in the coming years, including the bypass work.

A recommendation is expected to be forwarded soon to the Legislature, which would then decide next year whether to enact, modify or kill the recommendation. Task force members have previously said its suggestions probably would include some form of tolling or tax or fee hikes.

The bypass project concept has consensus among community leaders and transportation planners, but has been stillborn because of a lack of funding.

Earlier, Boulder City officials acknowledged the need to consider alternate funding sources.

In May, the City Council ordered a feasibility study on making the bypass a toll road. And a city official said the city could consider swapping roadside property for road construction cash with private investors.

Ultimately, the decision on whether to build toll roads or enter into private partnerships rests with the state Legislature and Boulder City officials.

Public-private partnerships have been done or considered in Europe, Australia, Illinois, Indiana and Texas, and typically involve leasing a toll road to a private group. The government is paid a preset flat fee by the contractor, which then is responsible for maintaining the road while pocketing tolls.

The first domestic privatization deal was done two years ago, when the city of Chicago agreed to a 99-year lease of the Chicago Skyway toll highway to a foreign syndicate in return for $1.83 billion.

Porter said he favors keeping open the existing "free" U.S. 93 path through Boulder City, with a toll road bypass being an option for drivers willing to pay for a quicker trip.

"If they want to go through Boulder City, they can. If they want to take an express route, they can," Porter said, adding that he believes taxpayers would support such a plan "if they have a choice" of free or toll roads to use.

The bypass would tie into a Hoover Dam bypass bridge, which was under construction until a crane collapse at the work site a few weeks ago. That bridge is expected to open no sooner than 2009 and is expected to increase traffic using U.S. 93 at Boulder City.