Congress eyes I-11 Vegas-to-Reno plan
WASHINGTON — A bid to extend the proposed Interstate 11 north from Las Vegas to Interstate 80 outside Reno is advancing this week in Congress, according to Sen. Dean Heller.
Heller, R-Nev., said a major highway bill scheduled for a vote Wednesday in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will designate the route as a “high priority corridor” in the national highway system. The designation is vital for the route to qualify eventually for federal funding.
Congress in 2012 designated portions of U.S. Highway 93 from Las Vegas to Phoenix as eligible for federal funding as an Interstate 11. Construction began in April on a bypass around Boulder City that would become a key part of the highway.
The I-11 project has the backing of major business groups in Arizona and Nevada, and is supported on Capitol Hill by lawmakers from both states.
Planners envision someday the Arizona and Nevada segments will be part of an interstate-quality route that will stretch from the Mexico border to Canada.
Contact Review-Journal Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@reviewjournal.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC.
