Interstate 11

[kernals12]

That's what they said about William Callahan's plan to build a 4 lane parkway around Boston.

Are you referring to the Massachusetts Turnpike, the I-95 half loop or I-495 outer half loop? Either way I-90 and I-93 both reach and/or go thru Downtown Boston. And Boston has limited access highway links directly to the other major population centers in that region.

By contrast, I-11 can't even do the basic thing if directly linking the Las Vegas and Phoenix metros. I-11 does get into Las Vegas (and will likely consume I-515). But the proposed route for I-11 gets down to Wickenburg and takes a stupid detour.

I'm referring to the I-95 half loop, known to locals as Route 128.

Also, I think the plan is to build a link from I-11 to Loop 303.

[Bobby5280]

I have not seen any official plans to improve US-60 between Wickenburg and Loop 303 to Interstate standards. The various I-11 concept maps do not show that segment of US-60 being improved. I-11 just goes straight South before or shortly after passing the Wickenburg area.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't have a particular objection to holding right of way in anticipation that a corridor might develop.  That's pretty much how AZ 101 and AZ 202 got built after people started moving out to where the freeways would be.  This is a different thing pushing for I-11 where literally nobody lives.

I don't know, all this focus on sprawl just tells me walking away from Phoenix in 2013 was the right idea.  Whole concept I had moving there in the first place (2001) was that Phoenix wasn't sprawled like Los Angeles.  The city was great with three million in the metro area, can't say I feel the same at close to five million.  By the time I left in 2013 all the decently priced homes were in Gilbert of the far West Valley.  If I ever find myself moving back it probably will be to either the Tucson or Flagstaff areas.

As I recall, you said you moved *to* Florida to get *away from* the shady real estate tactics in Arizona.

Yes, certainly was a contributing factor.  I wasn't interested in living in Gilbert or moving to Southern California with my employer at during that time.  I did had a transfer lined up for the El Paso/Las Cruces area but that fell through. 

I ultimately ended up taking a Federal in job in Florida instead and transferred around with it on several paid relocations (which is how I ended up in Fresno).  Florida definitely had its merits, especially with inland home pricing.  Trouble was for me I found Florida incredibly dull and got bored with it.  Fortunately I got into the housing market in Fresno before it became a hot spot to relocate to.  Ideally I would like to eventually end up either in southern Oregon, western Nevada or the two places I mentioned already in Arizona come the retirement wind down. 

Fair chance I would have relocated to Washington State by now if I hadn't met my now wife.  Our financial, pension and mortgage situation is way too stable for the time being to consider changing much.

I'd give serious consideration to Western Nevada. That's probably where I will end up. That whole area along with Vegas, death Valley and the Grand Canyon... it doesn't even seem real

[Max Rockatansky]

Wrote a Nevada-centric blog on Interstate 11.  I wanted to keep things grounded as they are presently defined by the FHWA and AASHTO:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/06/interstate-11-and-boulder-city-bypass.html

[kernals12]

I clinched i-11 tonight. The part just south of Lake Mead was spectacular. They created a manmade canyon for an interstate highway.

I also discovered they had barriers on the bridge over the Colorado River that block views of the Hoover Dam. I understand they want to prevent rubbernecking, but it still sucked

[Max Rockatansky]

I thought that was more for wind and security for the Hoover Dam facility?  I climbed the retaining wall on the Arizona side when the bridge opened, but it wasn't exactly a snap.

[Bobby5280]

I also discovered they had barriers on the bridge over the Colorado River that block views of the Hoover Dam. I understand they want to prevent rubbernecking, but it still sucked

Yeah, those Jersey barriers are tall, probably over 5 feet. Can't see anything from a regular passenger vehicle. On the bright side there is a free parking area off the Hoover Dam Access Road at the Pat Tillman Memorial. You can walk up from there on to the bridge over the Colorado River. That is a pretty spectacular view. But it is a bit unnerving how you can feel the bridge deck "bounce" a bit as heavy trucks and other vehicles speed cross the bridge.

[roadfro]

Wrote a Nevada-centric blog on Interstate 11.  I wanted to keep things grounded as they are presently defined by the FHWA and AASHTO:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/06/interstate-11-and-boulder-city-bypass.html

Surprised you didn't also post this in Pacific Southwest.

Some corrections for the write-up:


The first segment of what would become the Boulder City Bypass was the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge.

The bridge was built as part of the Hoover Dam Bypass (and the bridge and road were all one project). The Boulder City Bypass was a completely separate project that was ultimately constructed later. Both projects had construction limits at what is now the Exit 2 US 93 Business/Hoover Dam interchange.

The two projects may have been conceived around the same time, or the Boulder City Bypass might have been a conceptual idea even earlier (I can't recall). But after the 9-11 attacks, security concerns of having an active highway atop Hoover Dam, which prompted semi-permanent vehicle checkpoints approaching the dam and the long-term commercial vehicle detour, elevated priority of getting the dam bypass done.


Upon Hoover Dam being bypassed the former routings over the structure became Nevada State Route 172 and US Route 93X in Arizona.

Actually, SR 172 ends about 1.6 miles north/west of the state line on the dam at the Bureau of Reclamation boundary, which is just before the security checkpoint and where the mainline goes over the access road. (The gap in maintenance between the dam and this point was also present in NDOT's State Maintained Highways books' descriptions of US 93 in the mid-2000s, before the highway was relocated onto the bypass.)


US Route 93 Business in Boulder City is the former mainline routing of US Route 93 prior to the Boulder City Bypass opening.  Despite the US Route 93 Business Route being signed the designation was never officially sought through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

NDOT sought recognition of US 93 Business from AASHTO at the same time as they sought relocation of US 93 and US 95 onto the Boulder City Bypass. These were all approved at AASHTO's May 2017 meeting.

[roadfro]

Yeah, those Jersey barriers are tall, probably over 5 feet. Can't see anything from a regular passenger vehicle. On the bright side there is a free parking area off the Hoover Dam Access Road at the Pat Tillman Memorial. You can walk up from there on to the bridge over the Colorado River. That is a pretty spectacular view. But it is a bit unnerving how you can feel the bridge deck "bounce" a bit as heavy trucks and other vehicles speed cross the bridge.

I'd guess the barrier walls are not any taller than 5 feet.

While unnerving, the bridge deck bouncing like that is normal. Bridges need to flex a bit by design, and too much rigidity actually makes it more susceptible to cracking and even failure. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Wrote a Nevada-centric blog on Interstate 11.  I wanted to keep things grounded as they are presently defined by the FHWA and AASHTO:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/06/interstate-11-and-boulder-city-bypass.html

Surprised you didn't also post this in Pacific Southwest.

Some corrections for the write-up:


The first segment of what would become the Boulder City Bypass was the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Bridge.

The bridge was built as part of the Hoover Dam Bypass (and the bridge and road were all one project). The Boulder City Bypass was a completely separate project that was ultimately constructed later. Both projects had construction limits at what is now the Exit 2 US 93 Business/Hoover Dam interchange.

The two projects may have been conceived around the same time, or the Boulder City Bypass might have been a conceptual idea even earlier (I can't recall). But after the 9-11 attacks, security concerns of having an active highway atop Hoover Dam, which prompted semi-permanent vehicle checkpoints approaching the dam and the long-term commercial vehicle detour, elevated priority of getting the dam bypass done.


Upon Hoover Dam being bypassed the former routings over the structure became Nevada State Route 172 and US Route 93X in Arizona.

Actually, SR 172 ends about 1.6 miles north/west of the state line on the dam at the Bureau of Reclamation boundary, which is just before the security checkpoint and where the mainline goes over the access road. (The gap in maintenance between the dam and this point was also present in NDOT's State Maintained Highways books' descriptions of US 93 in the mid-2000s, before the highway was relocated onto the bypass.)


US Route 93 Business in Boulder City is the former mainline routing of US Route 93 prior to the Boulder City Bypass opening.  Despite the US Route 93 Business Route being signed the designation was never officially sought through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

NDOT sought recognition of US 93 Business from AASHTO at the same time as they sought relocation of US 93 and US 95 onto the Boulder City Bypass. These were all approved at AASHTO's May 2017 meeting.

Do you have the minutes for 2017 or where I can find them?  They weren't exactly apparent in the AASHTO database when I looked for US 93 Business.  Regarding NV 172 and US 93, I was planning a Part 4 of my US 466 series for that.  Wasn't sure how wide of a net I wanted to cast given so much I-11 stuff as is in flux.

Edit:  I went back and touched up the points you hit on.  If you know where I can find the US 93 Business documents let me know, I have the Hoover Dam blog coming likely this week.  Regarding Pacific Southwest, I'll cross post over there momentarily.

[roadfro]

Do you have the minutes for 2017 or where I can find them?  They weren't exactly apparent in the AASHTO database when I looked for US 93 Business.  Regarding NV 172 and US 93, I was planning a Part 4 of my US 466 series for that.  Wasn't sure how wide of a net I wanted to cast given so much I-11 stuff as is in flux.

Edit:  I went back and touched up the points you hit on.  If you know where I can find the US 93 Business documents let me know, I have the Hoover Dam blog coming likely this week.  Regarding Pacific Southwest, I'll cross post over there momentarily.

The Wikipedia U.S. Roads project maintains a project page indexing AASHTO route numbering committee meeting minutes, which includes links to the minutes documents (or an internet archive version, as is the case here).

[rickmastfan67]

Do you have the minutes for 2017 or where I can find them?  They weren't exactly apparent in the AASHTO database when I looked for US 93 Business.  Regarding NV 172 and US 93, I was planning a Part 4 of my US 466 series for that.  Wasn't sure how wide of a net I wanted to cast given so much I-11 stuff as is in flux.

https://web.archive.org/web/20190113062937/http://sp.route.transportation.org/Documents/USRN%2001-Agenda%20and%20List%20of%20Applications%20SM-2017.pdf

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[The Ghostbuster]

Could anyone hazard a guess on when the Interstate 11 designation will be extended up the US 95 corridor to NV 157 (swallowing up the rest of Interstate 515 in the process)? That, of course, will happen a lot sooner than seeing Interstate 11 signs posted in Arizona (excluding future Interstate 11 signs that is).

[Henry]

Could anyone hazard a guess on when the Interstate 11 designation will be extended up the US 95 corridor to NV 157 (swallowing up the rest of Interstate 515 in the process)? That, of course, will happen a lot sooner than seeing Interstate 11 signs posted in Arizona (excluding future Interstate 11 signs that is).

It likely won't be until the rest of the freeway gets built up to I-80, if ever. Until that time comes, I'd expect I-11 to end at I-15, like I-515 currently does. Then in the meantime, let the chips fall where they may.

[Joseph R P]

Could anyone hazard a guess on when the Interstate 11 designation will be extended up the US 95 corridor to NV 157 (swallowing up the rest of Interstate 515 in the process)? That, of course, will happen a lot sooner than seeing Interstate 11 signs posted in Arizona (excluding future Interstate 11 signs that is).

My guess is after the completion of the Centennial Bowl.

[TheBox]

Howdy from the Mid-South forums

So how much has I-11 progressed the past 2-3 years since the last time I came here?

[FightingIrish]

Could anyone hazard a guess on when the Interstate 11 designation will be extended up the US 95 corridor to NV 157 (swallowing up the rest of Interstate 515 in the process)? That, of course, will happen a lot sooner than seeing Interstate 11 signs posted in Arizona (excluding future Interstate 11 signs that is).

It likely won't be until the rest of the freeway gets built up to I-80, if ever. Until that time comes, I'd expect I-11 to end at I-15, like I-515 currently does. Then in the meantime, let the chips fall where they may.

Not true. I-11 from the Beltway to I-80 is pretty much a dream at this point, whereas the route to NV 157 has already been designated by NVDOT.

[The Ghostbuster]

The furthest north I could see future Interstate 11 getting is perhaps its junction with NV 373 in Amargosa Valley. There are plenty of locations along US 95 between Beatty and Interstate 80 where the terrain looks to be too rough for an Interstate to be constructed. Besides, the traffic demands are probably too low to warrant an upgrade very far beyond the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. The four-lane segment of US 95 ends at Mercury Highway (Exit 136), and I'm not sure it needs to be extended any further north.

[Bobby5280]

I could see I-11 getting built up to the Southern outskirts of Beatty within the next 10-20 years. Further development of I-11 between Las Vegas and the Reno region will depend on some other factors.

I think I-11 will probably have to be completed down to the Phoenix area in order for I-11 to be able to attract a lot of cross-border commercial traffic. The Las Vegas metro is continuing to grow. Certain highways in the Reno area also need improvement in order to provide a connection into I-80. Some of that work needs to happen in the near term. Specifically, I think the NV-439 corridor in Clark needs to be improved to an Interstate quality freeway from I-80 down to US-50. That looks like the most obvious, do-able potential I-11 connection into I-80. If they started building that corridor South to Schurz then it would just be a matter of two I-11 segments eventually meeting somewhere in the middle.

[DenverBrian]

The easiest way for I-11 to "progress" is to re-sign and de-list I-515.

[kkt]

I don't see any reason to build it to Amargosa Valley and then stop.  Just an RV park, a gas station, a tourist trap for Section 31 souvenirs, and that's about it.  I-11 should take over I-515 and stop at I-15.

[The Ghostbuster]

The Interstate 11 designation is already going to terminate at the NV 157 interchange, so stopping it at Interstate 15 (like Interstate 515 currently does) isn't practical. Interstate 11 will probably be gradually extended beyond NV 157, although whether it will eventually make it to Interstate 80 is unknown at this time. The previously-proposed extensions of Interstate 11 through northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, or Idaho enroute to the Canadian border were likely always pipe dreams.

[vdeane]

I don't see any reason to build it to Amargosa Valley and then stop.  Just an RV park, a gas station, a tourist trap for Section 31 souvenirs, and that's about it.  I-11 should take over I-515 and stop at I-15.

Section 31?  Like the Starfleet black ops organization?

The Interstate 11 designation is already going to terminate at the NV 157 interchange, so stopping it at Interstate 15 (like Interstate 515 currently does) isn't practical. Interstate 11 will probably be gradually extended beyond NV 157, although whether it will eventually make it to Interstate 80 is unknown at this time. The previously-proposed extensions of Interstate 11 through northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, or Idaho enroute to the Canadian border were likely always pipe dreams.

Were there ever real (ie, proposed by DOTs or political officials) proposals to do so, or were they just roadgeek discussions that came up more often than most fictional proposals?

[kkt]

I don't see any reason to build it to Amargosa Valley and then stop.  Just an RV park, a gas station, a tourist trap for Section 31 souvenirs, and that's about it.  I-11 should take over I-515 and stop at I-15.

Section 31?  Like the Starfleet black ops organization?

Oops.  Sorta, I expect Area 51 was in the writers' minds at DS9 when they thought up Section 31.

[The Ghostbuster]

There is an Area 51 convenience store at Amargosa Valley, but nothing for fans of Star Trek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_31_(Star_Trek).