Flood control projects to affect traffic in Centennial Hills

By Kyle B. Hansen

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 | 1:55 a.m.

A flood control project in the Centennial Hills area of Las Vegas will restrict traffic on Decatur Boulevard and Elkhorn Road for at least three months, city officials said.

Traffic lane restrictions at the intersection of the two roads are expected to begin Dec. 6 and continue until March while crews work on the $30 million project.

Construction on the project is expected to affect Decatur from the Las Vegas Beltway to Elkhorn and Elkhorn from Decatur to Torrey Pines Drive until next summer.

Crews will be installing large concrete flood control boxes on both sides of Decatur and in the center traffic lanes on Elkhorn, officials said.

“These improvements will provide a tremendous benefit to public safety by reducing the flooding that typically occurs during rain events,” Councilman Steven D. Ross, who represents the area, said in a statement. “When completed, this project will provide critical collection and connection between the nearby upstream and downstream detention basins, greatly enhancing our ring of flood control protection in Southern Nevada.”

The entire project is expected to take 16 months, the city said. Work will occur during daytime hours, Monday through Friday.

For north-south traffic, city officials recommend motorists use Bradley Road instead of Decatur Boulevard. Motorists can also use Deer Springs Way as an alternative to Elkhorn Road for east-west travel.

A separate flood control project at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs is also affecting traffic in the area.

Work on that project is taking place on Racel Street from El Capitan Way to Cimarron Road and on El Capitan Way from Racel Street to Horse Drive. That project is expected to end in December 2011.

The Decatur and Elkhorn project is being funded by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the city. The contractor is Meadow Valley Contractors and Louis Berger & Associates is the construction manager with the city’s Department of Public Works.