Ground breaking for the 140,000-square-foot Home Depot store, originally planned by July Fourth, is now expected to take place by mid-September.

Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman Bob McKenzie confirmed the project has been held up by the NDOT hydrology department.

"They've returned the encroachment permit with a few questions to the contractor that's putting it together for the Home Depot and they're just waiting on them to resubmit the information," McKenzie said. He was unable to specify exactly what snags remained.

The store is planned for a 19.7-acre location on the east side of Highway 160 just north of East Basin Avenue.

Sarah Molinari, spokeswoman for Home Depot, said the company plans to begin construction by the end of this year and open by mid 2008. Originally, officials had talked about the store being open for Christmas shopping this year when the plans were submitted back in January.

Brent Steed, senior building inspector for Charles Abbott and Associates, the county's building department, was a little more optimistic.

"They're trying to get the ground broken by the middle of September. That's their target date," Steed said.

The Home Depot project would be the largest construction effort in Pahrump since the Desert View Regional Medical Center opened last year and the Wal-Mart store opened back in 2003. It would include a 106,278-square-foot main store and a 34,760-square-foot garden center.

Phase II plans call for fast-food restaurants and retail stores in front of the store.

Home Depot bills itself as the world's largest home improvement retailer with 2,104 retail stores, including nine in the Las Vegas area. The company, on its web site, states 22 million people visit a Home Depot store every week.