The Nevada Department of Transportation has rephrased the sign at the intersection of Buchanan Boulevard and Nevada Way to let tourists know that there are two routes to Hoover Dam. The new sign went up June 3.
Friday, June 5, 2009 | 11:43 a.m.
Nevada Highway and Buchanan Boulevard
It’s no longer a secret that Nevada Way, the main drag through Boulder City, leads to Hoover Dam.
A large overhead sign above the Nevada Highway intersection with Buchanan Boulevard, installed by the Nevada Department of Transportation at a cost of $1.2 million, directed drivers to turn left onto the U.S. 93 truck route to get to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. It directed them straight ahead on Nevada Way to reach Boulder City’s Historic District.
Business owners complained to the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce that the sign was doing more harm than good. Travelers were no longer driving through downtown Boulder City on their way to Hoover Dam, and the stores and restaurants were losing business, they said.
The fact is, they pointed out, both the truck route and Nevada Way head south to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. The Nevada Way route is just a little more scenic.
Chamber Executive Director Jill Lagan said she and Mayor Roger Tobler took the concern to NDOT officials, and last week, the sign was changed to show that both roads lead to the dam.
“It was an amazing feat,” Lagan said. “All of our jaws are dropping. It was done in 14 days.”
NDOT Deputy Director Rudy Malfabon said NDOT tries to change signs if they are confusing or aren’t working as planned. This was an easy and inexpensive fix that could be done in department’s Las Vegas sign shop, he said, so it happened quickly.
“Sometimes we can be pretty responsive like that,” he said.
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