Officials studying bypass for north side of Pahrump

The Nye County Regional Transportation Commission will look into acquiring rights of way for an alternative route for special events and emergencies in Pahrump.

Officials said a bypass would provide an alternative route on the northern part of the town.

Cheryl Beeman, Nye County principal planner, said originally the idea was brought up many years ago during the development of the Yucca Mountain project, the concern of potential of increased traffic along Highway 160 and future population projections that showed aggressive growth to 150,000.

“Alternative transportation routes would certainly be a necessity if the population increased to those estimates,” Beeman said. “Of course now, projections on water do not support those population estimates. Yucca Mountain went unfunded by the federal government for several years, and perhaps could be resurrected as a government project under the new administration.”

Since the last meeting on Nov. 21, officials looked into using Powerline Road for a bypass, however, Nye County Department of Public Works Director Tim Carlo said that it has several private properties.

Instead, officials said they would acquire a private right of way between Industrial Road and Charleston Park on Higley Road.

“Once you get to Charleston Park, all the way to Mesquite, the east side would be BLM right of way,” Carlo said.

Acquiring a right of way will involve no costs.

“There’s no cost involved, it’d just be filing an application and selecting an alternative route, if this board selects an alternative route. There’s still more work to be done further to the south from Industrial (Road) there, but that’ll be acquiring rights of way through easements,” Carlo said.

County Planning Department Director Darrell Lacy agreed with Carlo.

“The current traffic on Highway 160 is reaching limits for stop lights and left turns at our current population,” Lacy said.

Carlo said acquiring right of way will allow continuing to the north and tying it into Highway 160.

“(It) might take years, but it is part of the master plan and what we booked up for several years,” Carlo said.

Contact reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @dariasokolova77