Plans for Lamb interchange studied

Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002 | 9:19 a.m.

By spring 2005 the intersection at Lamb Boulevard and Interstate 15 should have $21 million in improvements in place to handle traffic in North Las Vegas until 2023.

The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday heard a report on the project's progress from the Nevada Department of Transportation, which is working on an environmental assessment.

The department is reviewing three designs. Two would cost millions of dollars more because the state would have to acquire land for right of way and they would require more construction.

The preferred project uses a single interchange on Lamb, eliminating two off-ramps at the intersection off the freeway.

That design would still cost $21 million, with $5 million in federal funds and the rest shared by North Las Vegas, NDOT and the Regional Transportation Commission, Frank Chiga, NDOT project manager, said.

He noted that when the interchange was built in 1965, it cost $3.4 million, and that included eight miles of I-15 construction. "That $20 million is just for the interchange," Chiga said.

North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon said he was concerned that the single interchange approach would limit future widening of Lamb.

However, he was told, the state is planning to work with city officials on forecasting future traffic patterns.

Construction should begin in August 2003 and continue for 18 months.

By 2023 the interchange will be able to handle 50,000 vehicles a day on I-15, compared with current 24,000 vehicles that travel the freeway today. It also should allow Lamb to handle 25,000 vehicles a day, compared with 6,000 today.