Washington, D.C. - Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has set aside more than $60 million in the federal budget for Nevada’s roads, bridges and airports.
The funding is part of the FY 2006 Transportation Appropriations Bill, which was signed into law by the President this week. The money will be used to build new roads and bridges, widen and reconstruct highways, and provide new buses and mass transit systems.
“Nevada is the fastest-growing state in the union, and this funding will help us keep up with our increasing transportation demands,” said Reid. “These projects will help commuters get to work and help tourists come visit our state. They construction work will create jobs and add to Nevada’s economy, and when the projects are done they’ll ease traffic jams, improve safety, and make life easier for all of us.”
Reid previously set aside $27 million for mass transit and airport projects in a Senate version of the bill. Additional funding for road construction was added to the measure during a House/Senate Conference, and Reid earmarked another $34 million of that funding specifically for Nevada projects.
The funding in the FY 2006 Transportation Appropriations Bill is in addition to other money announced earlier this year from the SAFETEA Bill.
SAFETEA is a massive long-term transportation funding measure. SAFETEA money comes from a special trust fund for large-scale and interstate transportation projects, which is handled separately from the annual federal budget. Nevada will get $1.3 billion over five years from SAFETEA, plus an extra $300 million from Reid’s specific earmarks.
A complete list of Nevada transportation projects in the FY 2006 Transportation Appropriations Bill is below.
NEVADA TRANSPORTATION FUNDING FOR FY 2006 — $61,300,000 TOTAL
STATEWIDE GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Bus facilities and buses – $3 million
NORTHERN NEVADA GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Improvements to I-80/Colfax Narrows – $5 million
Deer Park in Sparks, facility renovations – $2 million
I-580 Freeway extension from Reno to Carson City – $1 million
University of Nevada Reno Small Business Development Center – $500,000
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Wadsworth Community Center – $500,000
City of Sparks, new bus terminals – $500,000
Improvements to I-80 Interchange at Fernley – $450,000
Fourth Street Corridor in Reno, enhancement project – $350,000
Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Regional Distribution Facility – $250,000
SOUTHERN NEVADA GROUND TRANSPORTATION
Craig Road in North Las Vegas, grade separation and overpass – $5 million
SR 160 at Blue Diamond, highway widening – $3.7 million
Light rail system between Henderson and Las Vegas – $3 million
St. Rose Parkway widening and reconstruction – $3 million
Improvements to Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson – $3 million
Improvements to the I-215/I-515 Interchange in Henderson – $1 million
Improvements to I-15/Cactus Interchange – $1 million
City of Las Vegas Post Office – $500,000
RTC of Southern Nevada maintenance facility – $500,000
Boulder Highway Max Bus Rapid Transit System – $450,000
Pahrump/Nye County Fairgrounds project – $300,000
Pahrump Senior Center, bus service – $300,000
Improvements to Clark County Beltway Interchanges – $150,000
NEVADA AIRPORTS
Reno/Tahoe International Airport, property acquisition and second-floor concourse construction – $9 million Reno/Tahoe International Airport, new air traffic control tower – $3 million
McCarran Airport, new air traffic control tower – $3 million
Reno Stead Airport, improvements including runway and taxiway reconstruction and runway lighting – $2.268 million
INTERSTATE PROJECTS
Funding for the states of Nevada and Arizona, for the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge – $7 million
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