Flood project targets underpass

Wednesday, April 19, 2000 | 10:17 a.m.

Politicians, local government employees and private contractors kicked off construction on the region's latest flood-control effort Tuesday, a $35 million project that promises to end the continual closing of the Charleston Underpass.

The project is a cooperative effort of the city of Las Vegas and the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.

The project will take two years to complete, officials predicted.

While areas throughout the west-central part of the city should benefit from the project, the worst spot for flooding has been the segment of Charleston Boulevard that runs underneath the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Interstate 15.

The underpass is often completely submerged after rainstorms, cutting the main east-west route for traffic to University Medical Center.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Las Vegas Councilman Larry Brown spoke at the groundbreaking event next to I-15 on Alta Drive. Brown also is chairman of the Regional Flood Control District.

Goodman, who lives in the affected area, joked that his drive to City Hall will be a lot less strenuous during flood season when the project is complete. When the rainy season comes in late summer, Goodman said he's had to take his canoe to work.

"The worst sound in the world is when you hear a raindrop on your roof when you live over there," Goodman said.

The project will end the flooding of the Charleston Underpass, he promised.

Gates, who also lives in the area, echoed the mayor.

"When he canoes, I canoe as well," she said. "This is long overdue."

Brown said the project is critical, and not just to ensure politicians can get to their offices.

And although the groundbreaking Tuesday represents an important milestone for regional flood control, it is just the culmination of seven years of construction that has redirected floodwaters downstream, Brown said.

The latest element of the flood control plan -- officially dubbed the I-15 Freeway Channel Project -- includes about 5 miles of flood channel improvements on both the east and west sides of I-15 between Alta Drive and Sahara Avenue, including Charleston, Western Avenue, Wall Street, Shadow Lane and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

When completed, the flood channel will convey 1.5 million gallons of water a minute, equivalent to the amount of water in 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools, city officials said.

Customers to about two-dozen businesses on Wall Street and Western Avenue will find their regular routes at least temporarily disrupted as work goes on in that area, but alternate access routes will remain open, city officials said.

Wall Street, just south of the underpass, already has been closed to traffic between Martin Luther King and Western Avenue. The Las Vegas Public Works Department said the road will remain closed until further notice as work crews install flood control systems. Traffic should use Oakey Boulevard and Western to visit those businesses.

"This is a major project that calls for work to take place along several busy roadways during the next two years, and traffic control measures are an important component," Public Works Director Richard Goecke said. "Work will be done in phases, and we will do everything we can to minimize the impact to residents, businesses and the traveling public."

When completed, the project will be worth the sacrifices, City Engineer Charles Kajkowski said.

"The long-term benefits of this project will outweigh the construction inconvenience," he said.

The flood control work will be done simultaneously with a $33.7 million widening project for I-15 between Sahara and Charleston by the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Launce Rake covers growth issues for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4127 or by e-mail at lrake@lasvegassun.com