Navajo Nation delegate worried about old bridge to new casino

Wednesday, March 23, 2011  

The Navajo Nation opened its second casino in Hogback, New Mexico, last October and early reports suggest the facility is doing well.

But Navajo Nation Council Delegate LoRenzo Bates, who represents the area, is worried about one thing. The only way to get to the Flowing Water Navajo Casino is through a one-lane bridge that was built in the 1970s and already suffered one fire.

"That bridge is not in compliance," Bates told The Farmington Daily Times. "The casino should not have gone in with that bridge."

Bates might have to wait a long time for a new bridge, though. The tribe's road construction process is lengthy and could take years to complete.

"This is Navajo," Ray Etcitty, general counsel for the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise, told the paper. "It's not easy to get any road project approved."

Get the Story:
Casino may be forced to wait for a bridge (The Farmington Daily Times 3/23)