Bill to reopen street revived by legislators

CARSON CITY -- Las Vegas and the Department of Transportation must spend as much as $70 million to reopen F Street in the historic black community of West Las Vegas, senators decided late Monday in overriding a veto by Gov. Jim Gibbons.

Senators voted 17-4 to override Gibbons' veto of Assembly Bill 304. That followed a 29-13 vote Sunday in the Assembly to reject the veto.

Las Vegas will have to commit $22.5 million toward the reopening of the street, closed last year as part of the $240 million project to widen Interstate 15. Remaining funds will be provided by the Department of Transportation.

During the floor debate, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, who represents the F Street area, said the costs could be as little as $45 million. But he said that cost is small compared with the $100 million or more the city could lose in a federal lawsuit filed by residents who want the street reopened.

He said that the hearings on the project only mentioned the widening of I-15 and nothing about F Street being closed.

"The F Street closure physically isolates West Las Vegas, cutting residents off from places of employment and entertainment," said Horsford, D-Las Vegas.

He added the closure reminds residents of days when West Las Vegas -- the area generally bordered by Carey Avenue on the north, Bonanza Road on the south, I-15 on the east and Rancho Drive on the west -- was isolated through segregation.

Contact Las Vegas Review-Journal Capital Bureau reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.