A project to construct a 15-mile bypass around Boulder City came to a halt after researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discovered naturally occurring asbestos in a section of soil. The discovery will delay the project; bidding for a $12 million initial work contract was canceled immediately after the discovery became public. The entire project, which will divert freeway traffic to minimize congestion, is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The researchers’ find is nothing short of a “bombshell,” according to Governor Brian Sandoval, who also chairs the Transportation Department, which now has the unfortunate position of deciding how to proceed. “This could be a showstopper,” Sandoval said.
The Transportation Department’s assistant director, John Terry, refuted the severity of the governor’s assessment of the problem, referring to it as “more of a show slower-downer.” The department immediately put together a task force to come up with a plan for continuing the project while attending to the highly sensitive nature of the potential health risks.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, which is joining with the state to help fund the project, found traces of asbestos in only two out of ten samples, according to Tina Quigley, the agency’s general manager. Now, two hundred more tests, costing $259,000, will be done to determine whether the asbestos is concentrated enough to be harmful to the public. Sampling, testing, and analyzing the soil is expected to take between four and eight months.
Strict rules exist regarding the safe handling and disposal of asbestos, and these complicate any project involving the material. If asbestos-containing dust becomes airborne, it puts those exposed at risk. Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to a variety of respiratory health problems, including mesothelioma.