If it seems like there's a lot of freeway construction around the valley, that's just a small portion of what the Department of Transportation would like to be doing.

But News 3's Chopper Tom Hawleyhas been crunching the roadwork numbers and has uncovered that there's just not enough money to go around. While some roadwork on the I-15 freeway is fully funded, other projects are not.

NDOT's current budget is set to receive about $4.5 billion over the next decade. But while it may sound like a lot of money - and it is - it is actually between $6 billion and $15 billion short of what is needed for the state.

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"We've been behind for a lot of years," says Susan Martinovich, Nevada Department of Transportation. "The growth took off further, faster than we had anticipated so we were behind. We have been putting out a lot of projects to get caught up but project development takes a long time."

And that's why NDOT is continuing to plan construction projects even though they don't know where the money will come from. For example, the so-called "Project Neon" is supposed to be underway right now but has stalled.

"That's right in the throat between the Spaghetti Bowl down to Sahara. Widening I-15 (and) providing new lanes to extend the HOV lanes that are US 95 actually provides the extension of those and some structures for easy access... fixing the Charleston interchange in that area, also fixing and working with Grand Central Parkway."

But Martinovich didn't mention the project centerpiece, a proposed connection between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Industrial over the top of the I-15. NDOT is settling for just a part of that project with the hope that additional money pours in at a later date.

"I can't go for an all-or-nothing because typically, you'll end up with nothing. And so we need to have some phases and some parts that we can we can put out on the ground. But you have to have them so that they can do something, not just be built and stand there without being utilized."

The 515 Freeway on the valley's east side has a planned widening project with new interchanges, costing hundreds of millions of dollars that aren't there. The only comfort is that because dramatic growth has stopped and people are driving less due to the economy, the 515 is not as bad as originally projected.

"The congestion is down right now but it's going to come back. This is a city, this is a state that always comes back. And we have to be in a position to be ready when we do have funding to put those projects out on the street."

But why is the funding picture so bleak?

One answer is the recession; we heard a lot about state budget cuts earlier this year. Also, the irony is that since a lot of the money comes from gas taxes, cutting down on public consumption hurts the budget.

"Vehicles have better gas mileage," Martinovich continues. "But they're still taking up space, causing congestion, or participating in the congestion cause and affecting our roads."

NDOT is currently looking for new sources of revenue. A proposal to install toll lanes failed in the state legislature last year but will be back, and a study is now underway that would tax drivers by the number of vehicle miles traveled.

"Technically, it's viable. But there are issues with legalities and perception of rights."

Martinovich hopes that a five-year highway funding bill presently before Congress will include an increase share for Nevada. But wherever the money comes from, she says it's money well spent.

"You're putting people to work, and not just contractors. There's the pre-construction people, you have contractors, you have suppliers, you have the trickledown where people are going out to lunch or buying things, all the parts. And when it's all said and done, you have a product - a good product - that lasts for years."

The previous five-year funding bill just expired; it could be a year or more before Congress passes a new one. Right now, they're just passing month-to-month extensions.

As a result, Project Neon, the 515 widening project, and various smaller projects are on hold while NDOT waits for more money. Meanwhile, a project to widen the I-15 Freeway from the 215 Beltway to Silverado Ranch is moving ahead by way of existing NDOT funding.

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