I-11/US 93 - Boulder City Bypass

[kdk]

I drove this stretch over the past week- northbound from Arizona on Sunday of last week and southbound yesterday.  It is signed as I-11 and US 93 concurrently, but only from the end of the 515 to Hoover Dam.  While heading EB on 215 no mention of it on the signs yet, just refers to I-515 and Boulder City.  The Digital overhead signs do say I-11 now open to Kingman AZ though on the SB I-515 (although technically not correct).

It was nice to bypass Boulder City although because of the additional distance it didn't seem to save as much time as I had expected, don't think it took 30 minutes off the drive and I was driving 75 mph most of the way.  Still nice to no longer have to worry about the hour long backups going from AZ to Las Vegas through Boulder City before busy weekends, New Years, etc.

As far as the routing through Las Vegas, I find it interesting if they do go with the eastern loop alignment (which I would support), nearly all of the "first stretch of I-11" would actually not even be included in the final route, as the interstate would likely turn NB right after the state line.

[roadfro]

MOD NOTE: Several posts about the route of I-11 through Vegas from 8/26/18 to 8/27/18 were moved to the Interstate 11 alignment, through Vegas and points north thread, to keep this thread more focused on the specific Boulder City project. –Roadfro

[Kniwt]

And just this morning, already the second fatal crash on the new road:
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/deadly-i-11-crash-near-boulder-city-blamed-on-speed-impairment/

Two people are dead and three others, including a small child, were hospitalized early Tuesday morning after a crash on Interstate 11 south of Las Vegas.

The crash was reported at 2:18 a.m. after a BMW crashed into the back of a sedan that was stopped on the side of the highway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka said.

[nexus73]

And just this morning, already the second fatal crash on the new road:
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/deadly-i-11-crash-near-boulder-city-blamed-on-speed-impairment/

Two people are dead and three others, including a small child, were hospitalized early Tuesday morning after a crash on Interstate 11 south of Las Vegas.

The crash was reported at 2:18 a.m. after a BMW crashed into the back of a sedan that was stopped on the side of the highway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka said.

Moral of the story: Do not run into stopped cars!

Rick

[myosh_tino]

And just this morning, already the second fatal crash on the new road:
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/deadly-i-11-crash-near-boulder-city-blamed-on-speed-impairment/

Two people are dead and three others, including a small child, were hospitalized early Tuesday morning after a crash on Interstate 11 south of Las Vegas.

The crash was reported at 2:18 a.m. after a BMW crashed into the back of a sedan that was stopped on the side of the highway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka said.

Moral of the story: Do not run into stopped cars!

Rick

Tell that to inattentive Tesla drivers....

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08/25/tesla-crashes-into-san-jose-fire-truck-on-highway-101/

[GreenLanternCorps]

Here is an article about the crashes on I-11...

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/sep/16/string-of-crashes-on-new-stretch-of-interstate-11/

[sparker]

Here is an article about the crashes on I-11...

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/sep/16/string-of-crashes-on-new-stretch-of-interstate-11/

The last paragraph of the article pretty much says it all -- all Las Vegas-area freeways are equally prone to incidents, some of which involve fatalities; I-11 stands out only because it is shiny and new and in the news on that basis.  As one who used to come here for a week or so every year to exhibit at CES in January, I've seen LV traffic at its worst -- conventioneers with rented cars mixing with the usual weekend recreational traffic, and all that mixed with "normal" traffic intrinsic to an urban area of nearly 2M.  Out-of-towners who really don't know where they're going (but go there anyway!) and who want to see the local points of interest (including Hoover Dam & Lake Mead -- and now that big bad arch bridge next to the dam) pose a problem for a region serving as a recreational destination.  And now that trucks are again using the new I-11 and US 93 beyond it to get to eastward I-40 as well as down to Phoenix, that's going to put a lot of potentially conflicting driver skill sets onto a 4-lane freeway -- a recipe for accidents.  But since the area is essentially one big recreational destination, all local freeways, particularly I-15, the I-11/515 continuum, and the Interstate portion of 215 past the airport will continue to see the lion's share of incidents.

[Sub-Urbanite]

Looks like NDOT has realized this was not their best signage work:

https://bouldercityreview.com/news/new-signs-on-interstate-expected-to-help-boost-citys-economy/

"The sign on the overpass that says "Railroad Pass Casino Rd ¼ MILE"  will be replaced with one that says "I-11 U.S. 93 U.S. 95 South Kingman."  Additionally, a new ground sign that says "Exit 15A Railroad Pass Casino Rd ¼ MILE"  will be put up."

[kdk]

I noticed some signage changes last week driving this from Las Vegas to Phoenix too.  There was the overhead digital signs saying I-11 open and had the travel distances listed to both Kingman and Phoenix.  I also noticed a sign along the route noting that there are no U turns allowed along the freeway.  I'm guessing there must be a lot of confused travelers who miss the exit trying to get to Hoover Dam, etc and are trying to turn around.  I'm guessing this new signage should help.

The one sign I'm surprised hasn't changed is at the end of EB 215 it still just has a sign for 93/95/515 Boulder City.  While i know the route is still technically 515 for a bit south of the 215 interchange I'm surprised there is no reference there to I-11 yet.

[sparker]

I noticed some signage changes last week driving this from Las Vegas to Phoenix too.  There was the overhead digital signs saying I-11 open and had the travel distances listed to both Kingman and Phoenix.  I also noticed a sign along the route noting that there are no U turns allowed along the freeway.  I'm guessing there must be a lot of confused travelers who miss the exit trying to get to Hoover Dam, etc and are trying to turn around.  I'm guessing this new signage should help.

The one sign I'm surprised hasn't changed is at the end of EB 215 it still just has a sign for 93/95/515 Boulder City.  While i know the route is still technically 515 for a bit south of the 215 interchange I'm surprised there is no reference there to I-11 yet.

It's likely NDOT isn't going to do anything beyond what's in the field right now until the LV routing study is completed next year (basically a CYA situation for them).  Apparently the contract to replace the signage SE of the 215/515 interchange was put on hold pending that outcome.   Yeah, it might be a bit confusing for first-time/one-time area visitors, but for locals and commercial traffic the situation is probably "old hat" by now.     

[roadfro]

I noticed some signage changes last week driving this from Las Vegas to Phoenix too.  There was the overhead digital signs saying I-11 open and had the travel distances listed to both Kingman and Phoenix.  I also noticed a sign along the route noting that there are no U turns allowed along the freeway.  I'm guessing there must be a lot of confused travelers who miss the exit trying to get to Hoover Dam, etc and are trying to turn around.  I'm guessing this new signage should help.

I understand NDOT started displaying some messages on VMSs a little while ago after they first started hearing that there was confusion. It's really a stop gap measure.

The "No U Turn" sign has nothing to do with confused people turning around or missing Boulder City. It is posted at a maintenance/utility/highway patrol crossover. NDOT's standard practice is to sign these freeway crossovers with a "No U Turn" sign (with an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign underneath).

[kdk]

The "No U Turn" sign has nothing to do with confused people turning around or missing Boulder City. It is posted at a maintenance/utility/highway patrol crossover. NDOT's standard practice is to sign these freeway crossovers with a "No U Turn" sign (with an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign underneath).

There was a new "no u turns" sign posted before the Bus. 93 Boulder City exit though that was new.  I know what you are saying how they have those posted on all of the crossovers, and they do, but I just thought it was odd they would warn everyone about this ahead of time too.  I don't recall seeing anything like that before.

[sparker]

The "No U Turn" sign has nothing to do with confused people turning around or missing Boulder City. It is posted at a maintenance/utility/highway patrol crossover. NDOT's standard practice is to sign these freeway crossovers with a "No U Turn" sign (with an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign underneath).

There was a new "no u turns" sign posted before the Bus. 93 Boulder City exit though that was new.  I know what you are saying how they have those posted on all of the crossovers, and they do, but I just thought it was odd they would warn everyone about this ahead of time too.  I don't recall seeing anything like that before.

It might actually be a good thing to post the "no U turn" signs before the median crossovers on this particular section of I-11, seeing as it is doing "double-duty" as both a long-distance server and a localized recreational route to and from the Lake Mead area (and its high bridge is an attraction in itself!).  I've seen unauthorized usage of crossovers all over the Interstate and other freeway networks by folks simply wanting to head in the opposite direction after missing their exit -- or otherwise realizing that they're not heading where they originally intended; on outlying segments with widely spaced interchanges this seems to be a particular problem.  Semi-active discouragement -- as opposed to relying on a general knowledge of the applicable laws -- is probably one of the better ways of dealing with this phenomenon on a facility where this is more likely to occur.

[Kniwt]

Another crash on I-11, apparently caused by a drowsy driver. This time, however, NHP was set up in the median recording a PSA when it happened. Let's go to the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQMDZzrOHXc

[sprjus4]

Bumping this thread to say that there's now March & April 2019 Google Street View along the entire bypass now.

[Bobby5280]

That imagery has been up for a few weeks now. The view of Lake Mead from I-11 between mile markers 3 and 4 is pretty spectacular. It would be even better if the water level wasn't so low.

[splashflash]

This is an encouraging article about the utility of I-11 for southern Nevada.  Boulder City businesses are relieved that the traffic through the city is there for locally benefitting purposes, diverting the heavy long-distance but largely unpatronizing traffic.

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/one-year-out-nevadas-i-11-facilitates-through-traffic-boosts-local-business

[Plutonic Panda]

Boulder City needs to extend Buchanan BLVD as the four lane divided road to I-11 and add an interchange. Likewise with Utah St.

[skluth]

Boulder City needs to extend Buchanan BLVD as the four lane divided road to I-11 and add an interchange. Likewise with Utah St.

I can understand an I-11 interchange at an extended Buchanan Blvd. It's mostly built to the highway and it would give a nice four-lane entrance into Boulder City from the south. Utah St should be planned for future expansion to include an interchange with I-11, but I don't think they need to do it soon. It can wait until the demand is there, though the ROW should be reserved.

[roadfro]

Boulder City needs to extend Buchanan BLVD as the four lane divided road to I-11 and add an interchange. Likewise with Utah St.

I thought the same thing when the bypass project was first announced. There is an undercrossing and emergency vehicle access gate there now, so it wouldn't be too hard to make a full interchange. Given the proximity to the Boulder City Airport, it somewhat makes sense. However, given that this southerly end of the developed city seems to be much more residential in makeup, I'm guessing city leaders didn't want such an access to change the traffic and development patterns–an interchange there would likely draw more traffic this direction and potentially more business development. Boulder City likely wants nothing to do with encouraging businesses anywhere other than US 93 Bus and the downtown core.

I wouldn't see a need to extend Utah St for the purpose giving it an interchange with I-11.

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ like Skluth, id put the Utah st interchange on the back-burner but have ROW secured. I could see some gas stations and fast food joints open up here at the Buchanan interchange.

[Sub-Urbanite]

Boulder City needs to extend Buchanan BLVD as the four lane divided road to I-11 and add an interchange. Likewise with Utah St.

Boulder City is notoriously anti-growth. If the bypassing doesn't do too much economic damage, I have a hard time seeing city leaders begging NDOT for any sort of investment.

[Roadwarriors79]

So the Boulder City Bypass (and the majority of I-11) has existed for a whole year. Has Boulder City become a ghost town yet?   

In all seriousness, what else has changed in the area within the last year?

[kdk]

So the Boulder City Bypass (and the majority of I-11) has existed for a whole year. Has Boulder City become a ghost town yet?   

In all seriousness, what else has changed in the area within the last year?

Not sure if this is just a "positive spin" article but says its actually helped business.

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/one-year-out-nevadas-i-11-facilitates-through-traffic-boosts-local-business

[Sub-Urbanite]

I was recently in BC for the first time since the bypass opened. Downtown seemed to be doing fine. Traffic was still flowing, but not choking, on old US 93. A few businesses on Nevada Highway were shuttered but the CBD was going strong.

I still think NDOT did a garbage job giving drivers directions to Hoover Dam on southbound I-11. I mean, at least on that distance sign on SB I-11 past US 95 — add Hoover Dam to the destination list (along with Kingman and Phoenix).