Report calls for better upkeep of state roads

Most Southern Nevada motorists have slammed their vehicles into uneven pavement or bounced along a rutted and bumpy road or racked their undercarriage on a giant pothole.

These poorly maintained roadways cost motorists an annual average of $246 apiece in otherwise unneeded repairs. That's according to a new study released by TRIP, a national transportation research group that during a six-month period gathered information on Nevada's traffic problems, roadways and bridge structures.

Not that it would come as a surprise to many Las Vegas drivers, but other study results are not great either.

The average rush-hour trip in Las Vegas takes about 30 percent longer than when the same trip is taken during non-commuting hours. If the highway system isn't improved to accommodate growing capacity, that rush-hour figure could increase to 163 percent in 20 years.

Percentages are difficult to grasp, but the bottom line is Las Vegas motorists waste about 44 hours of their lives each year sitting in traffic.

And the combination of lost time, wasted gas and roadways beating up on vehicles costs each motorist an average of $1,481 each year, the study found.

TRIP is a nonprofit group sponsored in part by businesses involved in highway engineering, construction and finance, labor unions as well as transportation organizations.

But Carolyn Bonifas, spokeswoman for the organization, said the group has no hidden agenda. It gathers information from credible government agencies when conducting its research. The organization advocates for more federal, state and local spending to improve highways and bridges.

"The numbers in this report can't be dismissed," she said Tuesday. "These are not numbers we manufactured. The problem can't be ignored."

According to the report, 10 percent of major roads in the Las Vegas metropolitan area are rated in poor condition, meaning they can be resurfaced but a better option is to reconstruct them. In addition, 26 percent of major thoroughfares are in mediocre condition, meaning they can be repaired but it might require extensive work.

Statewide, 12 percent of highway bridges that are 20 feet or longer show significant deterioration or do not meet current design standards, according to TRIP.

Although the federal stimulus package provided $201 million for state transportation projects, the demand is too great, the report states.

"This funding can serve as a down payment on needed road, highway, bridge and transit improvements, but it is not sufficient to allow the state to proceed with numerous projects needed to modernize its surface transportation system," according to the report.

Jacob Snow, general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission, said he has had to reject roadway proposals from government agencies looking to him for funding.

"We are out of the roadway construction business; we need to stop funding design projects," Snow said. "We need to take the limited amount of money we have on projects under way right now."

Congress will consider a long-range surface transportation program this year; its current funding program that brought $2.8 billion to Nevada expires on Oct. 31.

"The level of funding and the provisions of a future federal surface transportation program will have a significant impact on future highway and bridge conditions and safety as well as the level of transit service in Nevada, which, in turn, will affect the state's ability to improve its residents' quality of life and enhance economic development opportunities," the report states.

Without additional federal funding, several Las Vegas projects could stall. The most significant of these, according to transportation authorities, is the widening of Interstate 15 to 14 lanes through the resort corridor and extending the Las Vegas Monorail to McCarran International Airport.

Other projects potentially at risk include the interchange at Horse Drive and U.S. Highway 95, a new flyover from U.S. 95 to Summerlin Parkway, and interchanges at Interstate 15 and Cactus and Starr avenues. A widening project on state Route 160 and Highway 93 near Boulder City could be affected by a lack of funding.

The state still has some catching up to do after the population explosion in the 1990s. Vehicle travel throughout the state more than doubled since 1990. TRIP found that the number of vehicle miles traveled increased from 10.2 billion to 21 billion. It estimated that number will increase by 70 percent in the next two decades unless the roadways are improved significantly.

With all the construction zones along highways and major thoroughfares, some residents might have difficulty believing there is a funding shortage, and Rudy Malfabon, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, acknowledged that.

"There is a lot of work going on now and the public doesn't really understand there is a crisis in transportation funding right now," he said.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said the state must also pitch in.

"We can't put this all on the federal government," he said Tuesday. "It's up to us to invest and get our people back to work."

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.