New strategy for northern part of beltway sought

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

Already stretching its resources to expedite construction of the Las Vegas Beltway, Public Works officials were asked Tuesday to change their strategy for the northern segment of the highway -- action that could cost $100 million.

Clark County commissioners Mary Kincaid and Chip Maxfield, whose districts include the 6-mile segment between El Capitan Way and Cheyenne Avenue, asked planners to look into constructing the six-lane, below-grade roadway rather than building a two-lane temporary road like many segments of the open beltway.

The northern segment would eventually be depressed -- below-grade -- and include six lanes when the population and amount of traffic increases in the area.

In the meantime, however, public works officials planned to open a two-lane beltway -- which they said would easily accommodate the amount of traffic -- and meet the 2003 deadline for the project.

The ground-level, two-lane road costs about $2 million per mile while the depressed roadway that includes flood channels costs about $16 million a mile.

"The $2 million is a good early investment considering how heavily we're stretching everybody's budget," Public Works Director Marty Manning said. "We understand the community's concerns."

The interim beltway would remain open while the permanent road is built. Engineer Mike Hand said that once the Beltway is built to capacity, the interim road could be used as a trail.

Kincaid told Manning putting in a road and then redoing it was a waste of money and asked him to look at different alternatives.

"It doesn't make sense to build it and then tear it out and have all that disruption now and then again," Kincaid said.