Las Vegas Sun NewsGoodman is eager for toll roads to be option in Nevada
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Mayor Carolyn Goodman delivers the 2012 Las Vegas State of the City address at Las Vegas City Hall on Wednesday, April 11, 2012.
Wednesday
12 September 2012
2 a.m.
Tom Skancke, who envisions high-speed rail being built in Las Vegas, stands at the Interstate 215 underpass at Decatur Boulevard.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman says she’s ready to get behind a lobbying effort for legislation that would enable the state to collect tolls on Nevada highways.
At Tuesday’s Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority meeting, Goodman said she would press the issue if it means Nevada could develop critical highway projects faster.
Nevada is the only state among seven in the West that don’t have tolling authority.
Goodman’s declaration came in the wake of a pair of reports to the authority board about projects needed to improve transportation to and from the city. The LVCVA’s contracted transportation lobbyist, Tom Skancke, told the board that a lack of funding is the biggest barrier for completing a list of projects that would improve the flow of tourists to Southern Nevada.
“The Highway Trust Fund is broke and broken,” Skancke told board members.
He said lawmakers have been reluctant to raise fuel taxes to pay for highway infrastructure and that an alternative to raising taxes would be to charge tolls on highways or for the use of special traffic lanes.
When Goodman asked what she could do to help, Skancke replied, “I need a champion for the issue.”
The Nevada Legislature has considered tolling authority since 1997, Skancke said, but it has never passed. Permission has been given for the Department of Transportation to consider a pilot project for tolling on a proposed bypass around Boulder City.
Skancke told the board that he has worked to push transportation projects in other states that would be beneficial to Las Vegas tourism. He has advocated funding for the $723 million expansion of Interstate 215 in San Bernardino, Calif., and the $324 million I-215 interchange at Devore, projects that would ease traffic for Las Vegas-bound tourists.
He’s also been a proponent for the so-called High Desert Corridor, a freeway between Palmdale and Victorville, Calif., that includes a high-speed rail right-of-way. The proposed six-lane freeway would give Southern Californians an alternate route from Los Angeles to Interstate 15. He said construction on the freeway would begin in five years.
California also is on the verge of announcing the relocation of an agriculture inspection station from Yermo to just south of Primm. The station would be larger than the existing facility and would eliminate a traffic bottleneck that occurs on southbound I-15 on busy weekends.
Skancke also praised Nevada’s congressional delegation, specifically citing Sen. Harry Reid, for including the designation of the so-called Interstate 11 project in recently approved transportation legislation. The I-11 designation will enable Arizona and Nevada to receive federal funding to improve U.S. 93 between Phoenix and Las Vegas to interstate highway standards.
Skancke said it’s his goal to speed up the I-11 improvement program from 15 years to five to eight years.
Earlier in the meeting, Nevada Department of Transportation Director Rudy Malfabon gave the LVCVA the final report on the $294 million Interstate 15 widening and improvement project between Tropicana Avenue and Silverado Ranch Road.
The three-year project, completed this month, included building new ramps, 26 bridges, 35 retaining walls, 1.5 miles of sound walls and the installation of variable-message signs, ramp meters, cameras and landscaping.
The LVCVA received the report because $259.4 million in authority bonds were used to fund the project.
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Tolling sounds good, not so for Nevada. This would be a problem. Especially for the tourist driving to Nevada from California.
I am from Chicago. Almost all the highways are toll roads. The tollway bonds were paid off in 1970, but they just let the tolls continue.
The tolls cost drivers $300 to $400 per year. The top employees are political appointees - so this is really just a way of pay political favors.
Toll roads are a bad idea.
That is a slope that best not be traversed.
In Texas, Gov. Good Hair (Perry) got that started and now every new/rebuilt highway is going to include toll lanes.
You pay tax at the pump, for the roads that you drive on. Our government agencies do not spend the money wisely and say we must look to other means of taxing? The problem is unaccountability and waste, not lack of double, and triple taxing!
@Bob635,
You are correct! A review of toll charging states show exactly what you stated: "The tolls cost drivers $300 to $400 per year. The top employees are political appointees - so this is really just a way of pay political favors."
This would be a sure way to have a new mayor come election time. Mayor Goodman's position on this issue will spawn new leaders to oppose this measure.
High car registration fees. Sales tax 8%. Now tolls?
But there's no state income tax. As always, states make up for loss of taxes somewhere else. This is an old scam. Tout "no state income tax"...but they ALWAYS make it up somewhere else.
This is not good. Toll roads are good way of funneling public money into private investor's (like Romney) pockets - look up the Chicago parking meter mess. The public will end up paying much more than it would cost for public financing and construction.
I'm surprised that it isn't better known that Senator Joe Hardy at the last legislative session started the action in that direction by getting permission to build a toll road around Boulder City, NV. I'm not sure what we are doing to ourselves? Why would we want to charge tourists that way? Raise gas taxes or higher fees on rental cars at the airport.
Tolls may deter visitors and commerce from coming through Nevada.
This may prove to be good or bad. I really don't know. I have never lived in an area with Toll Roads and have no desire to do so.
Interesting part is the Mayor of the City of Las Vegas really has nothing to do with these roads. They will not be in the city. They will be Clark County or the State.
I like that she wants to be involved in making the overall area better but her opinion is just as good as ours and no real power to do anything about it when it comes to building roads.
Las Vegas has no need for Toll Roads like California does. Believe me, compared to Orange & LA Counties, Las Vegas has NO traffic issues!!! In fact, in those rare times when you hear that traffic is backed up on the freeway, you can always take the streets and get around it with NO issues.
I do take advantage of the toll roads in California when driving the 91, because I know how bad the 91 can be and I hate the 91. I rarely drive the toll road to "escape" the 55, because when I am in Calif driving around it isn't during the time when there are people causing traffic..
If Nevada needs the money that bad, they should figure out another way of getting the money...As Weezy stated, we pay tax at the pump to go towards fixing and building roads. Not my fault that the State/Local governments can't keep their hands out of it.
Comment removed by moderator. ALL CAPS
toll roads are a bad idea. they never go away and they always raise the fees. when will politicians start working for us and not us working for them.
If you have ever drove on the Blue Ridge turnpike in Kentucky, you will hate toll roads. Stopping ever so many miles to pay a toll.
All we need is a private toll road that the owners can raise their toll charges any time they desire.
Toll roads actually slow down traffic and add to the cost of transporting goods.
Over a hundred years ago in Europe,every little principality had their toll roads. The merchants and the people got fed up with them and the toll roads went our of existence.
What did you say the unemployment rate was in NV? Can those who are just getting by on the skin of their death survive if they have to pay expensive tolls?
Let us get real and stay real.
While most of the commentors are rabid advocates of tax increases on the "rich," they haven't a clue about toll roads and apparently have a knee-jerk reaction to them. If any of you lived near Chicago as I did for many years, and had to travel through it, you would have experienced the blessings they provide. Instead of plodding along US Hwy 41, thru one dopey city after another, fighting traffic and being delayed by stop signs and traffic signals, using I-294 was a dream come true. Now, if you were too cheap to pay the 30 cent tolls at the booths, you could still travel "free" on Rte 41. There is always an alternate "free" highway for cheapo's to use. Taking toll roads is pure voluntary and, horror upon horror, an individuals "choice." Don't like toll roads? Don't use them if available. Gee, what a concept! Freedom of choice!