Interstate 11 alignment, though Vegas and points north

[roadfro]

^ Virtual road meet in my home town? I'll be watching!

[vdeane]

^ Virtual road meet in my home town? I'll be watching!

This one is a webinar, not a virtual meet.  Big difference - the virtual meets feature live driving/stops, but the webinar is a powerpoint discussion and previously recorded footage.

[mrsman]

^ Virtual road meet in my home town? I'll be watching!

This one is a webinar, not a virtual meet.  Big difference - the virtual meets feature live driving/stops, but the webinar is a powerpoint discussion and previously recorded footage.

It's still a great idea.  Thank you for this.

Are there links to previous episodes posted?  Can one watch at their own time at a different time?

[vdeane]

Yep, roadwaywiz organizes everything into playlists to watch later.  Which is great, because I've been finding that Sunday afternoon is a great time to slide a browser tab onto my TV and watch whatever was broadcast the previous day, often while working on my site or something else.
Webinars (like what's coming up)
Online Roadmeets
Live broadcasts of regular roadmeets
Virtual tours (similar to what was done last week with I-17)

[roadwaywiz95]

I think Valerie has covered it all pretty well. The one thing I'd emphasize is that my channel is currently streaming *live* every day due to the COVID-19 outbreak across America (and the resulting suspension of most live entertainment). (The LV Webinar is just the beginning in a once-weekly series of presentations set to be broadcast in the next 8 weeks.) So there will be something unscripted/original for you to check in on that's road-related on a daily basis. (And this of course is enabling folks to take their minds off of what's stressing them out right now.)

[roadwaywiz95]

Our next installment in the *weekly* live broadcast over on 'roadwaywiz' will be this double-header Virtual Tour presentation, where we dissect and enjoy a full-length trip along the belt highways encircling both El Paso, TX and Las Vegas, NV in real time, complete with commentary and contributions from admins/moderators/members of this forum.

The event will kick off on Saturday (4/11) at 6 PM ET and we look forward to seeing you there!

[Kniwt]

An update from what's left of Indian Springs, the tiny settlement next to Creech AFB where the speed limit on 95 drops to 45mph, and it was thought that a bypass might not be needed:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the casino in Indian Springs, demolished in 2014, has been given approval to rebuild and reopen on the other side of the highway, possibly by Memorial Day (current closure restrictions notwithstanding). This could complicate any plans to make 95/Future-11 a freeway on the existing alignment.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/nevada-gaming-officials-give-blessing-to-new-indian-springs-casino-2002733/

The state Gaming Control Board on Wednesday recommended approval of licensing for Herbst IS Holdings LLC for a casino in the small community bordering Creech Air Force Base 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

... The original Indian Springs Casino, built in the mid-1980s, closed its doors in 2014 when the Air Force acquired 16.9 acres adjacent to the base for $11.45 million. The land was needed to provide an increased security buffer around the base to comply with anti-terrorism requirements developed after the 9/11 attacks.

...Tim Herbst, manager for Herbst IS Holdings, said the new development will have a casino with 75 slot machines, an eight-pump gas station, a charging station for electric vehicles developed in a collaboration with the state, a convenience store and a Bob's Big Boy restaurant.

[sparker]

An update from what's left of Indian Springs, the tiny settlement next to Creech AFB where the speed limit on 95 drops to 45mph, and it was thought that a bypass might not be needed:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the casino in Indian Springs, demolished in 2014, has been given approval to rebuild and reopen on the other side of the highway, possibly by Memorial Day (current closure restrictions notwithstanding). This could complicate any plans to make 95/Future-11 a freeway on the existing alignment.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/nevada-gaming-officials-give-blessing-to-new-indian-springs-casino-2002733/

The state Gaming Control Board on Wednesday recommended approval of licensing for Herbst IS Holdings LLC for a casino in the small community bordering Creech Air Force Base 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

... The original Indian Springs Casino, built in the mid-1980s, closed its doors in 2014 when the Air Force acquired 16.9 acres adjacent to the base for $11.45 million. The land was needed to provide an increased security buffer around the base to comply with anti-terrorism requirements developed after the 9/11 attacks.

...Tim Herbst, manager for Herbst IS Holdings, said the new development will have a casino with 75 slot machines, an eight-pump gas station, a charging station for electric vehicles developed in a collaboration with the state, a convenience store and a Bob's Big Boy restaurant.

Looks like the US 95 segment through Indian Springs is equipped with frontage roads; along one of those is presumably where the new casino will be located.  That shouldn't have much bearing on I-11-related upgrades to US 95, which will likely either be (a) raised on a berm, (b) sunk in a trench, or (c) remaining on the surface but with overcrossings.  The frontage roads could be reconfigured as C/D facilities with private access (TX-style), which would accommodate said casino just fine.   Side note:  grew up on Big Boy food; any new outlets certainly welcome!

[roadfro]

An update from what's left of Indian Springs, the tiny settlement next to Creech AFB where the speed limit on 95 drops to 45mph, and it was thought that a bypass might not be needed:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the casino in Indian Springs, demolished in 2014, has been given approval to rebuild and reopen on the other side of the highway, possibly by Memorial Day (current closure restrictions notwithstanding). This could complicate any plans to make 95/Future-11 a freeway on the existing alignment.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/nevada-gaming-officials-give-blessing-to-new-indian-springs-casino-2002733/

The state Gaming Control Board on Wednesday recommended approval of licensing for Herbst IS Holdings LLC for a casino in the small community bordering Creech Air Force Base 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

... The original Indian Springs Casino, built in the mid-1980s, closed its doors in 2014 when the Air Force acquired 16.9 acres adjacent to the base for $11.45 million. The land was needed to provide an increased security buffer around the base to comply with anti-terrorism requirements developed after the 9/11 attacks.

...Tim Herbst, manager for Herbst IS Holdings, said the new development will have a casino with 75 slot machines, an eight-pump gas station, a charging station for electric vehicles developed in a collaboration with the state, a convenience store and a Bob's Big Boy restaurant.

Looks like the US 95 segment through Indian Springs is equipped with frontage roads; along one of those is presumably where the new casino will be located.  That shouldn't have much bearing on I-11-related upgrades to US 95, which will likely either be (a) raised on a berm, (b) sunk in a trench, or (c) remaining on the surface but with overcrossings.  The frontage roads could be reconfigured as C/D facilities with private access (TX-style), which would accommodate said casino just fine.   Side note:  grew up on Big Boy food; any new outlets certainly welcome!

Yes, there are two-way frontage roads on both sides of US 95 in Indian Springs. This new casino is likely to be somewhere on the southern frontage, since the base bought up all adjacent land on the north side frontage road (which caused the original casino to close). The northern frontage road adjacent to the base is now virtually useless, and the only thing it serves is a gate to Creech AFB that no longer appears to be in use (I think this is the original main gate, but the main base entry has been moved east of the town)

I'm with Sparker that it shouldn't have any real impact to I-11 development. If NDOT doesn't do an Indian Springs bypass for I-11, I think they'll sink it in a trench through the town (which would afford the best security for the base) and also eliminate the northern frontage road along the base.

That Big Boy might give me a reason to stop in Indian Springs on a future Reno-to-Vegas trip.

[sparker]

I'm with Sparker that it shouldn't have any real impact to I-11 development. If NDOT doesn't do an Indian Springs bypass for I-11, I think they'll sink it in a trench through the town (which would afford the best security for the base) and also eliminate the northern frontage road along the base.

That Big Boy might give me a reason to stop in Indian Springs on a future Reno-to-Vegas trip.

If the casino erects a NV-typical tall massively-lit sign noting its presence -- and it shows up on roadside BBS's (big blue signs, in this case) -- even with only a southern frontage road as access, it should do just fine!  And unless the Big Boy features a breakfast bar (some of them eventually did when they were proliferating in the '80's), do the place on the SB trip to Vegas; they do a better lunch/dinner menu than a fully-served breakfast (the self-serve bar -- if those ever are installed again after this COVID episode -- was actually good; the better ones gave the old Shoney's breakfast bars a run for their money!).

[rte66man]

I'm with Sparker that it shouldn't have any real impact to I-11 development. If NDOT doesn't do an Indian Springs bypass for I-11, I think they'll sink it in a trench through the town (which would afford the best security for the base) and also eliminate the northern frontage road along the base.

That Big Boy might give me a reason to stop in Indian Springs on a future Reno-to-Vegas trip.

If the casino erects a NV-typical tall massively-lit sign noting its presence -- and it shows up on roadside BBS's (big blue signs, in this case) -- even with only a southern frontage road as access, it should do just fine!  And unless the Big Boy features a breakfast bar (some of them eventually did when they were proliferating in the '80's), do the place on the SB trip to Vegas; they do a better lunch/dinner menu than a fully-served breakfast (the self-serve bar -- if those ever are installed again after this COVID episode -- was actually good; the better ones gave the old Shoney's breakfast bars a run for their money!).

It's ironic to me as east of the Mississippi, Shoney's was Big Boy

[sparker]

I'm with Sparker that it shouldn't have any real impact to I-11 development. If NDOT doesn't do an Indian Springs bypass for I-11, I think they'll sink it in a trench through the town (which would afford the best security for the base) and also eliminate the northern frontage road along the base.

That Big Boy might give me a reason to stop in Indian Springs on a future Reno-to-Vegas trip.

If the casino erects a NV-typical tall massively-lit sign noting its presence -- and it shows up on roadside BBS's (big blue signs, in this case) -- even with only a southern frontage road as access, it should do just fine!  And unless the Big Boy features a breakfast bar (some of them eventually did when they were proliferating in the '80's), do the place on the SB trip to Vegas; they do a better lunch/dinner menu than a fully-served breakfast (the self-serve bar -- if those ever are installed again after this COVID episode -- was actually good; the better ones gave the old Shoney's breakfast bars a run for their money!).

It's ironic to me as east of the Mississippi, Shoney's was Big Boy

The Big Boy franchise history is all over the map; one of the more successful Eastern purveyors of that menu was the old Elby's (for some reason, I often ended up hitting either the one in St. Clairsville, OH or Erie, PA about dinner time -- lucky me!), but they went belly-up around 2000.  Right now there are only 5 left in CA, including the historical 2nd location in Burbank; the largest current franchise owner revived the "Bob's" name, with most of their outlets in MI.   But in this day and age, it's unlikely that this particular franchise will pop up in regions not presently served.

But if I live long enough to do a I-11 check-out trip (even as a passenger!) I'll make sure to stop at the Indian Springs restaurant.

[roadfro]

BUMP to note the I-11 Environmental Impact Statement study for the Las Vegas area is about to begin, and a virtual public meeting will be held to solicit public input.

The NDOT Press Release dated 7/29/2020:

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), will launch an online public meeting website on July 31 for the Interstate 11 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement Project in southern Nevada.

The project will help identify a preferred I-11 corridor through the Las Vegas metropolitan area, extending from the Arizona border at U.S. Highway 93 to near Kyle Canyon Road along U.S. Highway 95 in Clark County. Public feedback will shape the environmental impact statement used to evaluate potential alignments, with the final goal of obtaining a federal record of decision that leads to a single corridor for all future I-11 projects. Please note that I-11 construction will not begin on any part of the selected corridor any sooner than 8 years, and it will be dependent upon available funding.

The online meeting, found at i11nv.com, offers key project information while also providing multiple ways for the public to submit valuable input. The online public meeting will be active and live 24/7 for 30 days from July 31 through August 31, 2020.

Looks like it will be a prerecorded meeting presentation viewable for a month. Surprised they're not doing a Facebook Live or similar event.

The interesting tidbit from the release is the minimum 8 year timeline before any construction begins.

[sprjus4]

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

[sparker]

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

Odds are that is what will eventually occur; since the culmination of the Spaghetti Bowl upgrades simply utilizing the US 95 corridor would free up funds for conversion of the US 95 expressway out to Mercury to a full Interstate-grade freeway.  Prior to the 2016 extension of I-11 northwest of LV, it was considered inevitable that Clark County 215, once fully to Interstate standards, would become part of a I-215 3/4 loop around metro LV;  if none of that loop is subsumed by I-11, it should be safe to assume that concept still stands.   

[nexus73]

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

Odds are that is what will eventually occur; since the culmination of the Spaghetti Bowl upgrades simply utilizing the US 95 corridor would free up funds for conversion of the US 95 expressway out to Mercury to a full Interstate-grade freeway.  Prior to the 2016 extension of I-11 northwest of LV, it was considered inevitable that Clark County 215, once fully to Interstate standards, would become part of a I-215 3/4 loop around metro LV;  if none of that loop is subsumed by I-11, it should be safe to assume that concept still stands.   

Exactamundo.  No matter what the northern end point of a future Nevada I-11 is, we do know what the Vegas end should be.  You have been promoted to Transportation Director!

Rick

[sparker]

 

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

Odds are that is what will eventually occur; since the culmination of the Spaghetti Bowl upgrades simply utilizing the US 95 corridor would free up funds for conversion of the US 95 expressway out to Mercury to a full Interstate-grade freeway.  Prior to the 2016 extension of I-11 northwest of LV, it was considered inevitable that Clark County 215, once fully to Interstate standards, would become part of a I-215 3/4 loop around metro LV;  if none of that loop is subsumed by I-11, it should be safe to assume that concept still stands.   

Exactamundo.  No matter what the northern end point of a future Nevada I-11 is, we do know what the Vegas end should be.  You have been promoted to Transportation Director!

Rick

I'll believe that when I get my first check from NDOT!  Not holding my breath...................

[abqtraveler]

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

Odds are that is what will eventually occur; since the culmination of the Spaghetti Bowl upgrades simply utilizing the US 95 corridor would free up funds for conversion of the US 95 expressway out to Mercury to a full Interstate-grade freeway.  Prior to the 2016 extension of I-11 northwest of LV, it was considered inevitable that Clark County 215, once fully to Interstate standards, would become part of a I-215 3/4 loop around metro LV;  if none of that loop is subsumed by I-11, it should be safe to assume that concept still stands.   

Exactamundo.  No matter what the northern end point of a future Nevada I-11 is, we do know what the Vegas end should be.  You have been promoted to Transportation Director!

Rick

I'll believe that when I get my first check from NDOT!  Not holding my breath...................

Heading north on 95 from LV to Tonopah, there's a whole lot of nothing. A couple of small towns: Beatty and Goldfield that will need to be bypassed, but from a technical standpoint, I don't think it would be too difficult to convert 95 to I-11. Along most of the route, the conversion will be simply adding a second carriageway alongside the existing road, and eliminating the few at-grade intersections either with overpasses or interchanges. Biggest challenge is finding the $$$ to pay for construction.

[sparker]

Seems the most logical routing to follow I-11 is on the existing US-95 freeway through the metropolitan area, and designate the remainder of the beltway is I-215.

Odds are that is what will eventually occur; since the culmination of the Spaghetti Bowl upgrades simply utilizing the US 95 corridor would free up funds for conversion of the US 95 expressway out to Mercury to a full Interstate-grade freeway.  Prior to the 2016 extension of I-11 northwest of LV, it was considered inevitable that Clark County 215, once fully to Interstate standards, would become part of a I-215 3/4 loop around metro LV;  if none of that loop is subsumed by I-11, it should be safe to assume that concept still stands.   

Exactamundo.  No matter what the northern end point of a future Nevada I-11 is, we do know what the Vegas end should be.  You have been promoted to Transportation Director!

Rick

I'll believe that when I get my first check from NDOT!  Not holding my breath...................

Heading north on 95 from LV to Tonopah, there's a whole lot of nothing. A couple of small towns: Beatty and Goldfield that will need to be bypassed, but from a technical standpoint, I don't think it would be too difficult to convert 95 to I-11. Along most of the route, the conversion will be simply adding a second carriageway alongside the existing road, and eliminating the few at-grade intersections either with overpasses or interchanges. Biggest challenge is finding the $$$ to pay for construction.

What's interesting about much of US 95, particularly from Mercury up to US 6, is that the present carriageway parallels the original alignment (possibly dating from old NV 3 & 5 days) with generally about 40-50 feet between them.  That would, if driveways or access points aren't involved, be an ideal place to place that 2nd carriageway.  Of course the towns along the way call for bypasses; most are straightforward except for Hawthorne, which is surrounded on three sides by an active ammo dump (I'd follow the old SP rail line that marks the northeast perimeter of the ammo dump grounds -- which would also facilitate locating I-11 on the east side of Walker Lake).  Also, Fallon and environs is growing by leaps and bounds, particularly with large-tract planned retirement communities, most located in the southwest quadrant.  If, as I suspect, the northern terminus will be just northeast of Fernley so as to provide reasonably efficient to both directions of I-80 (west to Reno or east to Winnemucca), some sort of "cutoff" avoiding as many of those tracts as possible will need to be laid out (and if I were NDOT, I'd start acquiring ROW as soon as the alignment is finalized, given the areas' penchant for ever more facilities of that type).   

Unfortunately, I've got to make the prediction that NV, with much of its revenue based on shaking loose $$ from tourists, will find itself (if it hasn't already) in a serious shortfall situation because of COVID; best guess is that projects will be pushed back 2-3 years at a minimum.   And since I-11 was more of a "long haul" concept to begin with, its schedule will suffer along with everything else in the state, including the seemingly never-ending LV revamping of the Strip and vicinity.   

[roadfro]

I seem to remember reading/hearing that the special session of the legislature called recently, to tackle balancing the state budget due to the COVID crisis, raided part of the state highway fund to supplement the state general fund. So that is definitely going to put a hamper on some projects, but I believe part of NDOT's mitigation of that will be to delay preventative maintenance and reconstruction projects that had been planned for rural routes so that funds can still be routed to the urban areas and major rural highways.

There's not a whole lot of really big NDOT projects that are currently under construction right now. All I can think of is the current phase of the US 95/CC-215 Centennial Bowl interchange and the northern I-15/CC-215 interchange construction that just started, with visible work on the Reno-Sparks Spaghetti Bowl Phase 1 (Spaghetti Bowl "Express" project) beginning later this month. The only other major project in the near-term pipeline is the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild–that isn't set to start until closer to 2022, and is unlikely to see delays given it's proximity to Allegiant Stadium.

I-11 development is definitely a long-term goal. Given the pace of corridor studies underway, and knowing that full environmental would come after that, I don't think anyone expected any major construction activity related to I-11 outside of the Las Vegas Valley to come within the next decade. So likely no major delays will result purely from the current fiscal situation, and I'd say we're likely to see minimal setback to the overall timeline–especially since an overall timeline has not yet been developed!

[sparker]

I seem to remember reading/hearing that the special session of the legislature called recently, to tackle balancing the state budget due to the COVID crisis, raided part of the state highway fund to supplement the state general fund. So that is definitely going to put a hamper on some projects, but I believe part of NDOT's mitigation of that will be to delay preventative maintenance and reconstruction projects that had been planned for rural routes so that funds can still be routed to the urban areas and major rural highways.

There's not a whole lot of really big NDOT projects that are currently under construction right now. All I can think of is the current phase of the US 95/CC-215 Centennial Bowl interchange and the northern I-15/CC-215 interchange construction that just started, with visible work on the Reno-Sparks Spaghetti Bowl Phase 1 (Spaghetti Bowl "Express" project) beginning later this month. The only other major project in the near-term pipeline is the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild–that isn't set to start until closer to 2022, and is unlikely to see delays given it's proximity to Allegiant Stadium.

I-11 development is definitely a long-term goal. Given the pace of corridor studies underway, and knowing that full environmental would come after that, I don't think anyone expected any major construction activity related to I-11 outside of the Las Vegas Valley to come within the next decade. So likely no major delays will result purely from the current fiscal situation, and I'd say we're likely to see minimal setback to the overall timeline–especially since an overall timeline has not yet been developed!

Probably an accurate assessment on all counts.  Within the next decade I'd expect to see I-11 construction concentrated on the divided section of US 95 out to Mercury, but no significant twinning or new-terrain projects north of there for a while (at least until the town bypass alignments have been finalized and EIS's done).  In short, they're going to pick off the low-lying fruit first, particularly since one can expect some level of exurban development along that corridor outward from 215 in the not-too-distant future that would benefit from an upgraded facility. 

[Sub-Urbanite]

I seem to remember reading/hearing that the special session of the legislature called recently, to tackle balancing the state budget due to the COVID crisis, raided part of the state highway fund to supplement the state general fund. So that is definitely going to put a hamper on some projects, but I believe part of NDOT's mitigation of that will be to delay preventative maintenance and reconstruction projects that had been planned for rural routes so that funds can still be routed to the urban areas and major rural highways.

There's not a whole lot of really big NDOT projects that are currently under construction right now. All I can think of is the current phase of the US 95/CC-215 Centennial Bowl interchange and the northern I-15/CC-215 interchange construction that just started, with visible work on the Reno-Sparks Spaghetti Bowl Phase 1 (Spaghetti Bowl "Express" project) beginning later this month. The only other major project in the near-term pipeline is the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild–that isn't set to start until closer to 2022, and is unlikely to see delays given it's proximity to Allegiant Stadium.

I-11 development is definitely a long-term goal. Given the pace of corridor studies underway, and knowing that full environmental would come after that, I don't think anyone expected any major construction activity related to I-11 outside of the Las Vegas Valley to come within the next decade. So likely no major delays will result purely from the current fiscal situation, and I'd say we're likely to see minimal setback to the overall timeline–especially since an overall timeline has not yet been developed!

Probably an accurate assessment on all counts.  Within the next decade I'd expect to see I-11 construction concentrated on the divided section of US 95 out to Mercury, but no significant twinning or new-terrain projects north of there for a while (at least until the town bypass alignments have been finalized and EIS's done).  In short, they're going to pick off the low-lying fruit first, particularly since one can expect some level of exurban development along that corridor outward from 215 in the not-too-distant future that would benefit from an upgraded facility.

I would not anticipate much exurban development past Kyle Canyon Road, for a few reasons:

• US 95 is sandwiched between a National Conservation Area, a National Monument, a National Wildlife Refuge and a military base all the way up to the prison. That's 20 miles of undevelopable land between any potential exurban development and the northwest edge of Las Vegas
• There are easier places for developers to turn dirt, such as along SR 160 west of Las Vegas, the entire I-15 corridor south of Las Vegas and up near Apex
• Even if a developer got a wild hair, convinced the BLM to sell her some land up near Indian Springs, and decided to build an exurban community up there, they still have to figure out how to acquire water (as if there are any available groundwater rights in Southern Nevada) or pump it up from Lake Mead. Similarly, any sewage has to be piped back to Las Vegas for treatment — no way treated sewage gets into the aforementioned protected areas, particularly Tule Springs Fossil Beds NM.

Could Indian Springs grow a touch? Sure. But Southern Nevada, thus far, has not been prone to exurban development. There hasn't been a rush of people moving to Goodsprings, Sandy Valley, Moapa Valley... Pahrump's growth is about it, and the things that draw people to Pahrump (particularly Nye County's loose development regulations) don't apply in the upper Las Vegas Valley.

[sparker]

I seem to remember reading/hearing that the special session of the legislature called recently, to tackle balancing the state budget due to the COVID crisis, raided part of the state highway fund to supplement the state general fund. So that is definitely going to put a hamper on some projects, but I believe part of NDOT's mitigation of that will be to delay preventative maintenance and reconstruction projects that had been planned for rural routes so that funds can still be routed to the urban areas and major rural highways.

There's not a whole lot of really big NDOT projects that are currently under construction right now. All I can think of is the current phase of the US 95/CC-215 Centennial Bowl interchange and the northern I-15/CC-215 interchange construction that just started, with visible work on the Reno-Sparks Spaghetti Bowl Phase 1 (Spaghetti Bowl "Express" project) beginning later this month. The only other major project in the near-term pipeline is the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild–that isn't set to start until closer to 2022, and is unlikely to see delays given it's proximity to Allegiant Stadium.

I-11 development is definitely a long-term goal. Given the pace of corridor studies underway, and knowing that full environmental would come after that, I don't think anyone expected any major construction activity related to I-11 outside of the Las Vegas Valley to come within the next decade. So likely no major delays will result purely from the current fiscal situation, and I'd say we're likely to see minimal setback to the overall timeline–especially since an overall timeline has not yet been developed!

Probably an accurate assessment on all counts.  Within the next decade I'd expect to see I-11 construction concentrated on the divided section of US 95 out to Mercury, but no significant twinning or new-terrain projects north of there for a while (at least until the town bypass alignments have been finalized and EIS's done).  In short, they're going to pick off the low-lying fruit first, particularly since one can expect some level of exurban development along that corridor outward from 215 in the not-too-distant future that would benefit from an upgraded facility.

I would not anticipate much exurban development past Kyle Canyon Road, for a few reasons:

• US 95 is sandwiched between a National Conservation Area, a National Monument, a National Wildlife Refuge and a military base all the way up to the prison. That's 20 miles of undevelopable land between any potential exurban development and the northwest edge of Las Vegas
• There are easier places for developers to turn dirt, such as along SR 160 west of Las Vegas, the entire I-15 corridor south of Las Vegas and up near Apex
• Even if a developer got a wild hair, convinced the BLM to sell her some land up near Indian Springs, and decided to build an exurban community up there, they still have to figure out how to acquire water (as if there are any available groundwater rights in Southern Nevada) or pump it up from Lake Mead. Similarly, any sewage has to be piped back to Las Vegas for treatment — no way treated sewage gets into the aforementioned protected areas, particularly Tule Springs Fossil Beds NM.

Could Indian Springs grow a touch? Sure. But Southern Nevada, thus far, has not been prone to exurban development. There hasn't been a rush of people moving to Goodsprings, Sandy Valley, Moapa Valley... Pahrump's growth is about it, and the things that draw people to Pahrump (particularly Nye County's loose development regulations) don't apply in the upper Las Vegas Valley.

Fair enough; you seem to be more familiar with those environs than do I (haven't been up 95 in years) -- but if Indian Springs gets its new casino complex that might be the site of multi-unit housing for potential staff (although that's currently speculative at best).  But the presence of the US 95 expressway still functions as the "low-lying fruit" spoken of; IMO that'll be elevated to I-standards in relatively short order if for no other reason than to demonstrate that something is actually being developed along the corridor.  AFAIK, actual alignments for the various bypasses (Beatty, Goldfield, Tonopah, etc.) are still in the study stages -- if that far along at all.  So this will be a long slog; a multi-decade undertaking.  I wouldn't be surprised if not only the LV-Mercury section sees initial activity, but once the alignment in the Fallon area is finalized, the interchange with I-80 (wherever sited) and the first few northernmost miles of the corridor, possibly including a Fallon bypass, see relatively short-term development to funnel traffic onto the existing corridor, signed as I-11 since it connects to I-80.  It's a blatant PR move to churn up corridor development interest within the two audiences that count -- the public and the state legislature -- but may be as effective as any other course of action.       

[Sub-Urbanite]

I seem to remember reading/hearing that the special session of the legislature called recently, to tackle balancing the state budget due to the COVID crisis, raided part of the state highway fund to supplement the state general fund. So that is definitely going to put a hamper on some projects, but I believe part of NDOT's mitigation of that will be to delay preventative maintenance and reconstruction projects that had been planned for rural routes so that funds can still be routed to the urban areas and major rural highways.

There's not a whole lot of really big NDOT projects that are currently under construction right now. All I can think of is the current phase of the US 95/CC-215 Centennial Bowl interchange and the northern I-15/CC-215 interchange construction that just started, with visible work on the Reno-Sparks Spaghetti Bowl Phase 1 (Spaghetti Bowl "Express" project) beginning later this month. The only other major project in the near-term pipeline is the I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild–that isn't set to start until closer to 2022, and is unlikely to see delays given it's proximity to Allegiant Stadium.

I-11 development is definitely a long-term goal. Given the pace of corridor studies underway, and knowing that full environmental would come after that, I don't think anyone expected any major construction activity related to I-11 outside of the Las Vegas Valley to come within the next decade. So likely no major delays will result purely from the current fiscal situation, and I'd say we're likely to see minimal setback to the overall timeline–especially since an overall timeline has not yet been developed!

Probably an accurate assessment on all counts.  Within the next decade I'd expect to see I-11 construction concentrated on the divided section of US 95 out to Mercury, but no significant twinning or new-terrain projects north of there for a while (at least until the town bypass alignments have been finalized and EIS's done).  In short, they're going to pick off the low-lying fruit first, particularly since one can expect some level of exurban development along that corridor outward from 215 in the not-too-distant future that would benefit from an upgraded facility.

I would not anticipate much exurban development past Kyle Canyon Road, for a few reasons:

• US 95 is sandwiched between a National Conservation Area, a National Monument, a National Wildlife Refuge and a military base all the way up to the prison. That's 20 miles of undevelopable land between any potential exurban development and the northwest edge of Las Vegas
• There are easier places for developers to turn dirt, such as along SR 160 west of Las Vegas, the entire I-15 corridor south of Las Vegas and up near Apex
• Even if a developer got a wild hair, convinced the BLM to sell her some land up near Indian Springs, and decided to build an exurban community up there, they still have to figure out how to acquire water (as if there are any available groundwater rights in Southern Nevada) or pump it up from Lake Mead. Similarly, any sewage has to be piped back to Las Vegas for treatment — no way treated sewage gets into the aforementioned protected areas, particularly Tule Springs Fossil Beds NM.

Could Indian Springs grow a touch? Sure. But Southern Nevada, thus far, has not been prone to exurban development. There hasn't been a rush of people moving to Goodsprings, Sandy Valley, Moapa Valley... Pahrump's growth is about it, and the things that draw people to Pahrump (particularly Nye County's loose development regulations) don't apply in the upper Las Vegas Valley.

Fair enough; you seem to be more familiar with those environs than do I (haven't been up 95 in years) -- but if Indian Springs gets its new casino complex that might be the site of multi-unit housing for potential staff (although that's currently speculative at best).  But the presence of the US 95 expressway still functions as the "low-lying fruit" spoken of; IMO that'll be elevated to I-standards in relatively short order if for no other reason than to demonstrate that something is actually being developed along the corridor.  AFAIK, actual alignments for the various bypasses (Beatty, Goldfield, Tonopah, etc.) are still in the study stages -- if that far along at all.  So this will be a long slog; a multi-decade undertaking.  I wouldn't be surprised if not only the LV-Mercury section sees initial activity, but once the alignment in the Fallon area is finalized, the interchange with I-80 (wherever sited) and the first few northernmost miles of the corridor, possibly including a Fallon bypass, see relatively short-term development to funnel traffic onto the existing corridor, signed as I-11 since it connects to I-80.  It's a blatant PR move to churn up corridor development interest within the two audiences that count -- the public and the state legislature -- but may be as effective as any other course of action.     

On this we agree. There's only three remaining interchanges needed between Snow Canyon Road and Indian Springs at this point, all of which are relatively inexpensive rural-grade exits.

[Bobby5280]

I think once I-11 is routed up thru Las Vegas (presumably over I-515) it will at least get extended up to Indian Springs and Creech AFB in a relatively short time. I'm guessing by around 2030. The military angle could help sell the upgrade. The freeway upgrade would be pretty easy. Some at-grade intersections and driveways along the route can be eliminated. Slip ramps onto short frontage roads the length of a rest area can serve others. A few new exits are necessary: Lee Canyon Road/NV-156, Cold Creek Rd (for the prison) and the frontage road/main lanes setup within Indian Springs itself.

Going past Indian Springs up to the outskirts of Beatty would be just as easy an upgrade. It's just a matter of doing any necessary improvements to the US-95 main lanes and adding exits for NV-160 and NV-373 at Amargosa Valley.

The big thing that's going to work against rural development of the I-11 corridor is urban/suburban highway needs in the Las Vegas area. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been a big monkey wrench thrown into the gears of the Vegas development machine. But the pandemic is not going to last forever. The I-215 loop is going to get completed. Some other corridors in the Vegas metro will need attention. Some will need "super street" treatment, getting grade separations at key intersections. But other freeway corridors will be necessary too. There's only so much funding to go around.