Another notch made in beltway

Friday, July 2, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

It may be just a little more than a mile long, but the newest section of the Las Vegas Beltway that opened today has brought Henderson a lot closer to Las Vegas.

"When you take motorists off surface streets over a several mile stretch and give them a freeway, it certainly does bring them closer," said Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the Clark County Public Works Department.

"The completion of this section marks a major milestone. It takes Henderson motorists off a 2-lane blacktop of Lake Mead Drive and makes it easier for them to get from point A to point B without stopping. And that also will help improve air quality."

The opening of the stretch of freeway from Pecos Road to Green Valley Parkway along what is commonly called the Las Vegas Beltway but officially is Interstate-215 makes it possible for Las Vegas-bound motorists to skip many traffic stops.

"Someone trying to get to the airport would have had to go from Green Valley Parkway to Sunset Road and then encounter a number of traffic signals," Shelton said of the situation prior to today. "Now, they can catch the beltway at Green Valley Parkway and go straight to the airport."

When completed by the projected date of 2020, the $1.5 billion beltway will be 53 miles long and connect with U.S. 95. to encircle the valley.

A ceremony for the opening of the newest section was conducted Thursday night, followed by the permanent closing of Lake Mead Drive between Green Valley Parkway and Pecos Road.

Today, Lake Mead Drive near Eastern Avenue was closed for a projected 30 days so that Lake Mead and Pecos Road could be realigned and the traffic signal could be removed to create an easier flow to the beltway.

In that area, motorists can get on the beltway at either the Pecos Road interchange or the Green Valley Parkway interchange. The speed limit on the beltway is 65 mph.

The rest of the southern leg of the beltway will include the linking of Green Valley Parkway to U.S. 95, with interchanges at Valle Verde Drive and Stephanie Street, and a section from Gibson Road to U.S. 95.

Shelton said the link to U.S. 95 could be completed by as early as the end of this year -- the next major milestone for the project. Construction on the stretch from U.S. 95 to Gibson could begin by 2001, Shelton said, noting that funding for that section has not yet been secured.

Later this summer, work is slated to begin on portions of the northern and western legs of the beltway.

However, unlike the southern leg, which is being built to what county officials are calling an "ultimate" capacity, many of the northern and western stretches of the highway will be either "interim" or "initial" roads that can be expanded as the population and traffic grows, Shelton said.

The beltway is being funded by a 1 percent motor vehicle privilege tax and a tax on new commercial, industrial and residential developments that averages out to about $500 a building, Shelton said.

The county has secured about 95 percent of the rights of way for the entire project, Shelton said.