Count on long wait to reopen F Street

Despite the Legislature's passage of a law forcing the city of Las Vegas and the Nevada Department of Transportation to come up with funds to reopen F Street, don't expect it to happen anytime soon.

It might be 11 years before construction actually begins.

Any project to reopen F Street under Interstate 15 would have to wait until the current $240 million I-15 north widening project, which closed the road, is done in 2010, state transportation officials said.

On top of that, the design and environmental study phase to build a tunnel under I-15 at F Street, which could cost up to $30 million, would take at least five years, said transportation department spokesman Scott Magruder.

And if any federal money is used to reopen F Street, the average time for a federal environmental impact study is eight to 10 years.

The Legislature on Saturday passed Assembly Bill 304, which requires the city of Las Vegas to spend $22.5 million in redevelopment funds to reopen F Street. It also states the Transportation Department must help find up to $50 million, if needed, by either re-prioritizing projects, using federal money or finding other funding sources.

The bill passed with veto-proof margins in the Senate, 19-2, and the Assembly, 42-0.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jim Gibbons said he wouldn't rule out vetoing the bill despite the overwhelming support in the Legislature.

Gibbons visited the F Street construction site Wednesday. Though he said he would consider state Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford's bill, he wondered about spending that much money to reopen that underpass when there are underpasses within two blocks in either direction.

"That would be a very expensive part of the transportation infrastructure to change," Gibbons said. "I'm not excited about spending $70 million when there are alternative accesses."

He said he hasn't seen the legislation and hasn't discussed it with Horsford.

"I've never talked to him about it," Gibbons said. "I have never had a considered conversation on this issue.

"We'll look at it. We'll make an economic determination. I'm not going to say 'no' at this time," the governor said.

Residents of West Las Vegas have been fighting the closure for months. They believe the city is trying to segregate the historically black community from downtown and the Transportation Department didn't perform due diligence during the design period to inform residents of the closure.

A lawsuit filed by residents to force the state to reopen the project remains alive in federal court. State transportation officials had confidently maintained they had done all that was required of them during the design and public comment process. City officials have said they won't comment on the issue because of the lawsuit.

Even if the bill becomes law, there's no indication the lawsuit would be dropped.

Attorney Matthew Callister, who is representing the West Las Vegas residents said, "The state and city haven't approached me and asked us to drop the lawsuit. There's an awful lot of dialogue between the city and the state and no one's approached me."

Callister wouldn't say whether the lawsuit would be dropped even if the bill becomes law.

"This is the third time in 40 years they've tried to shut off the west side from downtown. I'm pleased state leaders have taken this step."

Trish Geran, a leader and organizer of opposition to the closure, said the case is a civil and human rights issue that still needs to be resolved.

"If the city had any integrity, they would settle out of court. They were the ones who requested NDOT to close D and F Streets," she wrote in an e-mail.

Review-Journal reporter Alan Choate contributed to this report. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-387-2904.