Plans taking shape to widen part of Water Street

By Jeremy Twitchell

Saturday, May 16, 2009 | 9:42 a.m.

The Henderson Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval Thursday of a long-term plan to widen Water Street along the section that runs between the new Lake Mead Crossing shopping center and the so-called Triangle Neighborhood.

At present, that stretch of Water Street, which runs from Boulder Highway to Lake Mead Parkway, has two lanes in each direction, one of which is used for right-turn lanes and parking. The new plan, which still must be approved by the City Council, would increase the width of the roadway from 80 feet to 161 feet and would turn both lanes in each direction into full-fledged travel lanes.

City staff in the Public Works Department said the change is necessary in order for the city to uphold commitments it has made to the developer of Lake Mead Crossing and residents in the nearby neighborhood, which draws its name from the triangular shape that Water Street, Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Parkway create around it.

The plan would also add landscaping, a trail on the west side of the street, a center turn lane, bike lanes in each direction and a two-lane frontage road on the east side along the Triangle Neighborhood.

There is no time table for construction; a city memo detailing the changes said construction will be done by the city “as funds become available.”

Henderson is preparing to begin a $1 million infrastructure upgrade project in the Triangle Neighborhood that will install sidewalks with wheelchair ramps in the neighborhood, which is one of the city’s oldest and has 177 lots.

The infrastructure project is being funded by a mix the federal government’s Community Block Development Grant Program, the federal stimulus package, and local gas tax funds. Each source will account for roughly one-third of the project budget.