Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Courtesy NDOT
This artist’s rendering shows what the redesigned interchange of the Boulder City Bypass and U.S. 93 would look like at Railroad Pass. The Railroad Pass Casino is to the left. If U.S. 93 is designated an interstate between Las Vegas and Phoenix, the bypass route would become part of the interstate, officials say.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010 | 5:08 p.m.
This Nevada Department of Transportation graphic shows the route of the proposed Boulder City Bypass. If U.S. 93 is designated an interstate between Las Vegas and Phoenix, the bypass route would become part of the interstate, officials say.
Sun Archives
- Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam (2-8-2010)
- Boulder City Council endorses Vegas-to-Phoenix interstate (8-12-2009)
- Freeway to Phoenix gains traction with bridge work (7-11-2009)
- Meeting planned to discuss changes to Boulder City Bypass (7-6-2009)
- Contractor selected for $270 million I-15 project (7-1-2009)
- A boost for DesertXpress (7-3-2009)
- Clark County roads wait for stimulus while rurals get work (6-10-2009)
- Declining gas tax revenue means fewer road projects (6-9-2009)
Sun Coverage
Tom Skancke, who envisions high-speed rail being built in Las Vegas, stands at the Interstate 215 underpass at Decatur Boulevard.
Once the Nevada Department of Transportation completes its work on the widening of Interstate 15 from Blue Diamond Road south, Southern Nevada’s most important tourism conduit will be done in Nevada and leaders can turn their attention to other pressing transportation needs, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority was told today.
Tom Skancke, president of The Skancke Co. Ltd. and a transportation consultant to the LVCVA, said with I-15 nearly completed, local leaders can turn their attention to the development of the proposed Interstate 11, a four-lane highway in the existing U.S. 93 corridor that would connect Las Vegas with Phoenix, one of Southern Nevada’s top tourism markets.
Las Vegas and Phoenix are the two largest cities in the country not linked by an interstate highway, Skancke said.
Projects partially paid for by the LVCVA have widened I-15 between the Spaghetti Bowl and Craig Road and created express lanes to separate through traffic from tourist traffic between Russell Road and Sahara Avenue. Another widening and expansion project south of Russell Road currently is under way.
The proposed I-11 would utilize the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge being built over the Colorado River and eventually could be extended north to Reno and Seattle, Skancke told LVCVA board members in his annual review of transportation projects affecting Southern Nevada’s tourism economy.
Representatives of Arizona’s Department of Transportation already have requested $2 million to $5 million to begin studies on the route, the first phase of which would link Las Vegas with Phoenix. Skancke said there’s already considerable progress on a portion of the highway between Interstate 10 and Wickenburg, Ariz., where a group of landowners has begun negotiating the transfer of 40,000 acres in the White Tank Mountains for right-of-way.
While Phoenix is an important tourism market for Las Vegas, the I-11 proposal is an important piece of transportation for commerce from Mexico, Skancke said. China is negotiating with Mexico for the development of a deep-water port at Punta Colonet in Baja California and the proposed I-11 is viewed as an important link to transport goods arriving at that port to the western United States.
The proposed I-11 isn’t the only highway outside of Nevada on Skancke’s radar. The San Bernardino Association of Governments is working to widen Interstate 215 in California between DeVore and Interstate 10. A $360 million design-build project that will widen the highway, add interchanges and high-occupancy-vehicle traffic lanes is expected to begin in July 2011, he said.
The last time a major freeway widening occurred in Southern California Skancke helped coordinate the freeway closure schedule to minimize the economic damage to Southern Nevada resorts. A similar plan is envisioned next year when work begins on the I-215 project.
Skancke also is monitoring progress on the so-called High Desert Corridor project that would link Victorville with Palmdale, Calif. The proposed 50-mile highway would provide a new traffic access from several Southern California communities to Southern Nevada.
The corridor also would include high-speed rail right-of-way, access the developers of the DesertXpress train line are counting on to eventually offer train service beyond Victorville. DesertXpress is expected to begin construction next year on a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Victorville, and California’s high-speed train system will pass through Palmdale. The link between Victorville and Palmdale would be key to integrating the systems.
Skancke also briefed the LVCVA board on other train proposals. Skancke was instrumental in forming the Western High Speed Rail Alliance, a coalition of regional transportation planners including the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada that is developing a high-speed rail strategy for the West.
The alliance is seeking funding from the federal government to begin the development of high-speed-rail corridors between Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix with long-term plans to extend to Salt Lake City, Denver, Reno and San Francisco.
Skancke also urged the board to consider how Southern Nevada’s tourism industry should respond if the state of California orders cars in that state to be electrified in the future. He said Las Vegas is not prepared to accommodate plug-in sites for electric cars traveling from California to Southern Nevada.
In other business, the LVCVA welcomed Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce President Matt Crosson to the board. He and Wynn Resorts President Andrew Pascal were appointed as representatives of the Las Vegas Chamber. Crosson replaces former Chamber President Kara Kelley, whom Crosson succeeded at the chamber. Pascal was reappointed to a new two-year term. Also reappointed for two years was Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith, who was nominated to the LVCVA board by the Nevada Resort Association.
The board also unanimously approved spending $225,500 to promote Las Vegas to corporate meeting planners at the Incentive Travel & Meeting Executives show in Chicago in October, $125,000 to sponsor Supercross Unleashed as a special event Oct. 16 at Sam Boyd Stadium and $10,000 to fund the 2011 Primm Winterbreak, another special event.
The board’s audit committee also received a report from Jon Reese, the LVCVA’s director of internal audit, on audits of the LVCVA’s Aramark food service concessionaire, the organization’s procurement card program, the personnel department, investments and the organization’s advertising agreement with R&R Partners.
Reese said his team found a few minor issues in the audits, including no reportable issues on the R&R agreement. The LVCVA has been criticized publicly by the Nevada Policy Research Institute about its dealings with R&R, but the audit found no compliance problems with internal controls or the payment process based on a study of documents produced between March 1, 2009, and April 2, 2010.
The focus should remain on high speed rail connectivity between Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles!! These three cities need each other now more than ever, and it's absolutely CRAZY that this hasn't been given the HIGHEST priority!!
Per Sharron Angle, it will be great for Las Vegas as long as we do not spend any Federal or State money to pay for it. Let the people who want it pay for it! NO TAXPAYER MONEY
I'm suprised an interstate highway between Vegas & Phoenix wasn't done 15 years ago. It's a no brainer.
Looks like a waste of money and the reconstruction won't be needed as long as the Greedy Corporations own all the Strip Properties.... They are not doing anything to make Vegas more economical for the average person. Room rates are lower but everything else is overpriced.
We're going to need a lot of federal money for I-11 if we ever want to see it built in most of our lifetimes.
Probably not something we'll get with Angle in office. Its hard enough McCain wont help out and its got to be Reid and Jon Kyl teaming up.
If Massachusetts can get $13B for the big dig, surely NV and AZ can team up to get the $1B to get this off the ground. That'd go to pay for the 2nd part of the BC Bypass ($250M??), the Kingman interchange at 93/I-40 ($100M?), and finish the two lane road to Wikieup (a few overpasses and two lanes in each direction up to AASHTO standards).
It's no longer needed since all the lefties are boycotting Arizona.
Wow, look how wide that interchange is south of the Railroad Pass Casino! I live over there and based on that drawing a mountain would have to be removed as well has a whole housing community including my home! Unless the interchange merged into the existing 93 just west of the casino.
@Siromega:
I agree with you. I have driven the 93 down to Phoenix and I think it is the most boring desert drive I have ever taken! There is maybe one part of the 93 that is "freeway" like. The rest needs to be a freeway and turned into the new Interstate 11 to interchange with the 101 Loop in Glendale, AZ or all the way to Interstate 10 in Phoenix. However, I don't see the new Interstate going all the way to Seattle. It would go into Oregon and interchange with I-84 along the Columbia River. Another very important highway that should be converted to an interstate is California's Highway 58. I-40 needs to be extended along the highway 58 path all the way to I-5 in Bakersfield or even further to the 101 in Santa Margarita, California. This would make traveling across the Mojave so much easier on the trucks. Interstate commerce would greatly benefit from this.
Has anyone calling for an Interstate-standard freeway to Reno ever driven to Reno on the existing US 95? I did, in 2008, and I assure you that the existing road is in no danger of reaching its capacity to handle traffic. Upgrading US 95 to a 4 lane dual carriageway north of Clark County would be as flagrant a waste of scarce transportation dollars as installing sidewalks all the way to Reno. Indeed, the 2,600 residents of Tonopah might be slightly more appreciative of the sidewalks. Meanwhile, any number of actually useful projects here in Las Vegas remain lines on a map.
Transportation policy needs to be focused on moving people and freight, not drawing pretty lines on a map or keeping asphalt companies in business.
I-11, the new Superhighway for illegal immigrants to come straight to Southern Nevada!
Please don't mess with the Joshua Trees. Nothing "boring" about that drive.
rawaccess --Good point. Better to start soon so as to pay low dollar for homes in the way.
Extend I-40 west from Barstow to Bakersfield. 80% of highway 58 is already at interstate standards, most of the right of way is in place. The Mojave bypass is complete. Just fill in the gaps between Barstow and Boron. Maybe I'll come over more often!
Way too much money is wasted on "studies" and "consultants" that could be spent on design and construction.
The desertxpress will not get built. By the time it breaks ground, the maglev will have finished it's environmental report and will be ready to build with more funds available for it.
Las Vegas and Phoenix are not the "two largest cities in the country not linked by an interstate highway".
How about Phoenix and San Diego?
San Jose and Los Angeles?
Rebuilding US 93 across Arizona to interstate standards would be stupid. Half of the new dual carriageway across Arizona was built by keeping the old highway, and adding a new road next to it. Dozens of desert crossroads would have to be "interchanged."
Far better would it be to incrementally improve US 93 with new bypasses at Kingman and Wickenburg. And then, build a highspeed rail line from Phoenix to LA via Parker, and add a spur to Vegas. Run freight trains on it at night to eliminate trucks.
In all this arguing, I find it ironic that, stuck way down halfway through the article, is mention of the need for the I-11 to accomodate the Mexican market, and the proposed, Chinese installation of, the deep water port (Punta Colonet). So while we bash each other and both the U.S. and Mexican governments for failing to deal with illegal immigration, we still "flirt" with Mexico and her potential markets and port...
It's maddening!
There are some great posts here regarding the entire issue.