Las Vegas-Phoenix interstate link moves closer to reality

WASHINGTON - Congress is taking the first step to link Las Vegas and Phoenix with a modern interstate highway that would grease travel and commerce in the desert Southwest.

A major road and transit bill expected to pass the House and Senate by the weekend would allow federal funding to upgrade U.S. Highway 93 to expressway standards over the 300 miles separating the cities.

The bill contains no money for the project but designates the corridor for development as Interstate 11, making it eligible for federal aid in the coming years.

Business interests in Nevada and Arizona have lobbied heavily for an interstate, pointing out that Las Vegas and Phoenix are the last remaining major metropolitan areas not linked by a modern connector.

The road could become a segment in a highway corridor stretching from Mexico to Canada, including upgrades to U.S. Highway 95 between Las Vegas and Reno.

Highway fingers to the West Coast could fuel more truck traffic moving goods inland from California seaports, business leaders envision.

Action by Congress on the interstate "is a critical game changer for our region," said Kristin McMillan, president and chief executive of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. "Interstate 11 will be the most significant infrastructure built in our region in 50 years."

The highway will not happen tomorrow. Over the next 10 to 20 years federal, state and local interests must locate billions of dollars for the endeavor for which there is not yet a solid cost estimate.

The interstate designation was championed in Congress by lawmakers from the two states after Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both R-Ariz., had it inserted into an early version of the federal legislation in the fall.

The Interstate 11 provision was a tiny part of a $120 billion bill to renew federal highway and mass transit programs for two years. U.S. House and Senate negotiators hammered out a final deal on the bill late Wednesday.

"Connecting two of the largest cities in the Southwest by interstate will create good-paying jobs, increase commerce, and significantly boost tourism to our state," Reid said.

Figures developed by the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission show that almost 9 percent of Las Vegas visitors come from Arizona and that 90 percent of them drive.

Prospects for the Nevada-Arizona road designation became clouded in the final days of negotiations amid reports that Republicans in the House were eyeing it as a possibly unacceptable earmark.

That set off a scramble among supporters that included recruiting former Nevada congressman-turned-lobbyist Jon Porter to reach out to top Republicans to close the deal, according to sources.

Rudy Malfabon, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, said though the bill does not immediately provide funding for the project, it will make more funding options available.

"The designation itself allows us now to proceed with the environmental work," he said. "It opens up any interstate funding categories that are available in the federal bill."

Most of the mileage to be improved is in Arizona. Between Las Vegas and the state line, the major task would be completion of the Boulder City bypass, and a link to the Interstate 15 network, officials said.

Transportation officials recently began referring to the corridor as "The 11" at the request of the Federal Highway Administration, which balked at the interstate label before it had been formally recognized as part of the nation's interstate system.

The overall transportation bill renews the flow of federal funds to states for their road and transit programs.

Nevada will receive $351.7 million in road money in 2013, the same amount as this year, according to Reid's office. For 2014, the Nevada share increases to $354.7 million.

For bus and transit programs, Nevada's share for 2013 is $48.2 million, an increase from $41.3 million in current law. In 2014, the state would get $48.9 million.

For every dollar Nevada contributes to the Highway Trust Fund through gasoline taxes and fees, it will receive $1.12 back, according to Reid's office.

Reid scored a victory with I-11, but another of his initiatives was rejected in the final bill.

Reid had sought to shift $45 million that Congress had allocated in 2005 for the Las Vegas-to-Anaheim, Calif., maglev train.

With the maglev project no longer in favor, he proposed to make the money available to the Nevada Department of Transportation to upgrade the Interstate 215 connector to McCarran International Airport.

But the provision became entangled in a dispute over earmarks, with Republicans protesting it was a special favor that should be stripped.

Reid insisted it was not an earmark, that it merely redirected money that Congress already had approved for Nevada's use.

Review-Journal reporter Adrienne Packer contributed to this report. Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.