Widening will ease speedway access

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 1999 | 11:27 a.m.

In an attempt to ease traffic congestion during busy race weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Nevada Department of Transportation plans to widen Las Vegas Boulevard North between Craig Road and the speedway.

Department spokesman Robert McKenzie said the state already has the right-of-way along the route, so there should be no delays in completing the project by March 2.

"We think that's a reasonable deadline," McKenzie said.

He noted that the speedway is providing the design work, estimated to be about 8 percent of the project.

The $3.7 million project will widen one mile of Las Vegas Boulevard from two traffic lanes to five lanes with 10-foot shoulders. NDOT and Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns the LVMS, will share in the cost of the project.

The project was approved by the state Transportation Board in March and bids will be advertised on Sept. 16, with a start date of Nov. 1. McKenzie said the project should be completed in time for the March 2-5 NASCAR Winston Cup weekend.

This year's NASCAR Winston Cup race drew a crowd estimated at 130,000 on March 7, and traffic flow on Las Vegas Boulevard into the speedway -- for both private and commercial vehicles -- was a major problem.

"That has been probably our biggest problem area, where (Las Vegas Boulevard) chokes down to two lanes," LVMS executive vice president and general manager Chris Powell said. "That one-mile stretch of road had a very negative effect on moving cars through.

"I think widening Las Vegas Boulevard to five lanes will be a major help to anybody traveling to or from the Speedway during major event weekends."

While Powell declined to say how much of the cost of the project Speedway Motorsports Inc. will absorb, McKenzie said the company was paying for the design of the widening project.

Both Powell and McKenzie said the project was not being undertaken solely for the benefit of race-day traffic.

"It's something that needs to be done in the future," McKenzie said. "With the speedway chipping in to help get this project done, it moves it along a little faster."

Powell said employees at Nellis Air Force Base, which sits across Las Vegas Boulevard from the speedway, also will benefit from the road widening.

"We're thrilled with the cooperation we've gotten from everybody concerned with this project," Powell said. "They understand the importance, not just to the speedway, but to people at Nellis and in the surrounding area.

"This should help alleviate a lot of the traffic problems we've had within a couple miles of the facility -- most notably, Nellis Air Force Base."

Powell added that the widening of Las Vegas Boulevard is the first step in a series of projects designed to improve traffic flow around the speedway on its busiest weekend of the year.

"We have got a couple other major projects that we hope to be announcing in the next few weeks to improve access to the speedway," Powell said.

"I feel confident that the measures that we're taking right now are going to make travel into Las Vegas Motor Speedway less problematic than at any Winston Cup venue."