EDITORIAL: Driving forward on I-11

Now that work on Nevada’s first stretch of Interstate 11 is underway, it’s time to lay the groundwork for the rest of a freeway that promises to diversify and expand the Intermountain West economy.

I-11 will provide a direct freeway connection between Las Vegas and Phoenix, long the two largest adjacent major American cities without one. The Boulder City bypass, under construction south of the valley, is a critical part of that project. But I-11 was always envisioned as a new north-south trade corridor that connects Mexico and Canada and provides relief to clogged West Coast routes. And Las Vegas leaders see that corridor as an opportunity to turn the valley into a regional commerce hub.

That will require a whole lot of new freeways beyond Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Today, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will consider a six-year highway funding bill that now includes legislation introduced earlier this year by Nevada Sens. Dean Heller and Harry Reid and Arizona Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake. Their bill extends the I-11 corridor north to Reno and beyond, and south of Phoenix through Tucson to the Mexican border. Once the corridor is designated, Congress and the states can move forward with planning construction and securing funding.

It has taken years of work to start the initial phases of I-11, primarily because Washington is such an inefficient steward of the gasoline tax revenue that’s supposed to fund highway maintenance and construction. We’d rather see Congress let states keep their federal fuel tax dollars instead of sending them to Washington and hoping to get them back. But Nevada will greatly benefit from the passage of the Senate highway bill now that it includes the expanded I-11 corridor.