I-11/US 93 - Boulder City Bypass

[pderocco]

You look to be correct about the truck stop being just across I 11 at the frontage road. Looking at the Clark County OpenWeb aerial imagery from February 16, 2023, that is most definitely an under-construction truck stop: https://maps.clarkcountynv.gov/openweb/?@853416,26689964,7

As I said, Google Earth has imagery from one month ago, and it doesn't look much different from that Feb 16 imagery. I suppose that could be the beginning of a new truck stop--it would be a logical place for it--but its haphazard looking layout makes it look more like the other junk on the west side of the highway. But if it's a truck stop, I don't know by what metric they could say that it's 75% complete.

[kernals12]

So what was the reason for bypassing Boulder City rather than upgrading US 93?

[Scott5114]

So what was the reason for bypassing Boulder City rather than upgrading US 93?

Boulder City was in the way.

[The Ghostbuster]

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

[kernals12]

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

I read there was a lot of panic that the bypass would turn Boulder City into a ghost town a la Radiator Springs.

[Plutonic Panda]

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

I read there was a lot of panic that the bypass would turn Boulder City into a ghost town a la Radiator Springs.

I never heard that. I always heard that the town was excited for the possibilities of a revamp by making the current road more pedestrian friendly and potential for new development out along the future(current) road. I frequent Boulder City and they have a nice strip downtown that is underutilized. I feel like it'll take off one day. Some beautiful neighborhoods too with amazing views of Mead.

[vdeane]

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

Is there a reason why they made the old route US 93 Business instead of retaining US 93 there and making the bypass I-11 alone?

[sprjus4]

^ My guess is that US-93 was planned as a freeway bypass before the I-11 designation came up, but I'm not sure.

[Molandfreak]

That was probably just a result of maintaining a consistent policy--US 395 was also moved to I-580, and an alternate route was created on the surface roads.

[roadfro]

So what was the reason for bypassing Boulder City rather than upgrading US 93?

Boulder City was in the way.

Literally and figuratively...

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

I read there was a lot of panic that the bypass would turn Boulder City into a ghost town a la Radiator Springs.

I never heard that. I always heard that the town was excited for the possibilities of a revamp by making the current road more pedestrian friendly and potential for new development out along the future(current) road. I frequent Boulder City and they have a nice strip downtown that is underutilized. I feel like it'll take off one day. Some beautiful neighborhoods too with amazing views of Mead.

IIRC, there were about three build options identified when this was being studied: a southern alignment (which was what was constructed), upgrading the existing alignment to freeway, and a northern alignment built in the foothills just north of the city. Depending on how it would've ultimately been built, upgrading the existing alignment wouldn't necessarily have resulted in too much ROW acquisition...

BC residents were very vehemently opposed to the existing alignment and northern alignment, especially those people who had bought newer homes along the northeast side of the city that would have had the most negative impacts from nearby sound and traffic. Meanwhile, BC business owners were quite concerned about the the southern bypass potentially causing reduced business because more traffic would be bypassing the town and leaned towards having a through-town alignment, IIRC. Ultimately the residents won out.

[roadfro]

Is there a reason why they made the old route US 93 Business instead of retaining US 93 there and making the bypass I-11 alone?

NDOT's SOP has almost always been to move the US Highway mainline to a new freeway bypass and go request a business route designation for the old highway.

^ My guess is that US-93 was planned as a freeway bypass before the I-11 designation came up, but I'm not sure.

The Boulder City Bypass was in planning and design stages probably 10-15 years before the concept of I-11.

[KeithE4Phx]

Upgrading existing Business 93 would have required the demolition of many homes and businesses. I'm sure the locals would be very loud in stating their opposition to the destruction an inner-city US 93 upgrade would have required. Would you want your home and neighborhood plowed down for a new freeway to be constructed (assuming you live in an urban or suburban area)?

Is there a reason why they made the old route US 93 Business instead of retaining US 93 there and making the bypass I-11 alone?

Once I-11 is built into Arizona (if that ever happens), US 93 will go away southeast of Vegas.  If not in this life, then in the next. 

[vdeane]

That was probably just a result of maintaining a consistent policy--US 395 was also moved to I-580, and an alternate route was created on the surface roads.

Is there a reason why they made the old route US 93 Business instead of retaining US 93 there and making the bypass I-11 alone?

NDOT's SOP has almost always been to move the US Highway mainline to a new freeway bypass and go request a business route designation for the old highway.

^ My guess is that US-93 was planned as a freeway bypass before the I-11 designation came up, but I'm not sure.

The Boulder City Bypass was in planning and design stages probably 10-15 years before the concept of I-11.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of how US 395 handles it either.  I can get it to some extent around Reno since I-580 ends and it needs to get over to the freeway somehow, but that doesn't mean it needs to do this for the whole route.  I prefer to minimize overlaps and I hate the useless ones.  If it were up to me I'd either:
1. Have kept US 395 on the old route to current exit 31 and overlap to I-80.
2. Have kept US 395 on the old route the whole way and designate the freeway north of I-80 as NV 580.
3. Have kept US 395 on the old route and extend I-580 north to where the freeway rejoins US 395.

[cl94]

The thing with 580 is that, prior to 2012, it was unsigned. It has existed since the 70s, but they did not see a point in signing it until it was a continuous freeway south of Reno. The signed overlap is a development from the past decade.

Nevada is a state that, with a very notable exception or two, will not designate a non-business route along a road they do not maintain. The intent with 395 through Reno and Carson was always to give the surface alignment back to the city and let them do as they wish. For this reason alone, they wouldn't keep 395 on the surface. They explicitly want to route through traffic onto the bypasses to provide more bike/ped/parking space in downtown areas.

[roadfro]

The thing with 580 is that, prior to 2012, it was unsigned. It has existed since the 70s, but they did not see a point in signing it until it was a continuous freeway south of Reno. The signed overlap is a development from the past decade.

Nevada is a state that, with a very notable exception or two, will not designate a non-business route along a road they do not maintain. The intent with 395 through Reno and Carson was always to give the surface alignment back to the city and let them do as they wish. For this reason alone, they wouldn't keep 395 on the surface. They explicitly want to route through traffic onto the bypasses to provide more bike/ped/parking space in downtown areas.

Salient example of the last part of this: Carson City had been chomping at the bit to do a revamp along US 395/Carson Street in their downtown core and near the capital complex to implement a road diet and make it more walkable, but NDOT was not on board with this given the US highway status on the street through town. But Carson City moved ahead with their plans almost as soon as NDOT finished the last leg of the I-580/Carson City Bypass, established the US 395 Business route, and completed the jurisdictional transfer Carson Street to the city.

Bringing this back to the thread topic... I'm not sure if there is a plan for NDOT to relinquish old US 93 through Boulder City. This is one instance where the business route remains state-maintained with prominent signage (and, breaking from previous precedent, cataloging it as "US 93B" instead of as a state route with or without national business route signage). I don't get the sense, and haven't read any articles suggesting, that Boulder City wants to do any specific revitalization or has any specific plans for the business route...much of their road diet-like downtown revitalization/walkability efforts were put into Nevada Way (the old-old alignment) years before I-11 (since the "truck" route provided an effective bypass years ago).

[cl94]

Good question on Boulder City. As you said, 93B...is already the bypass of downtown. There isn't much need for the city to do anything with it because it's just a suburban arterial.

With both Reno and Carson, 395 ran through the middle of downtown. The cities wanted 395 so they could diet it and had wanted it for some time. And in both cases, they took it over and dieted as soon as money allowed. There had been plans to diet Virginia Street through Reno since the late 90s, if not earlier. I'd argue Carson did a nice job with their diet; downtown is pretty walkable, everyone takes the bypass around, and it's faster to drive through the city. Win for everyone.

[silverback1065]

Slightly off topic, but will I-215 be signed along the entire loop now? It looks like all the exits are complete now.  I am assuming 11 won't use 215, but 95 and 515.

[The Ghostbuster]

Yes, Interstate 11 will follow existing Interstate 515 (and US 95 all the way to NV 157). CC-215 likely won't become Interstate 215 until the Centernnial Bowl is finished being reconstructed as a system interchange in 2024: https://www.dot.nv.gov/Home/Components/News/News/6652/395.

[PColumbus73]

Yes, Interstate 11 will follow existing Interstate 515 (and US 95 all the way to NV 157). CC-215 likely won't become Interstate 215 until the Centernnial Bowl is finished being reconstructed as a system interchange in 2024: https://www.dot.nv.gov/Home/Components/News/News/6652/395.

The 2024 Rand McNally map has I-11 shown running through Las Vegas along I-515 and US 95

[The Ghostbuster]

Only to Exit 90A. The atlas also shows 11 and 515 co-designated together from 215 to 15. I think Rand McNally jumped the gun.

[roadfro]

Only to Exit 90A. The atlas also shows 11 and 515 co-designated together from 215 to 15. I think Rand McNally jumped the gun.

They totally did. NDOT hasn't submitted any renumbering plans to AASHTO (to my knowledge), nor announced any plans to make the switch.

[Max Rockatansky]

There isn't anything in the AASHTO database yet for I-11 being extended to NV 157.  The most recent applications have appeared in the database for Boulder City.

[The Ghostbuster]

I don't know if anyone has noted this, but at the Boulder City Pkwy./Buchannan Blvd./Nevada Way intersection, there are signage errors. From westbound, there are still mainline US 93 signs: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9745678,-114.8453862,3a,75y,251.7h,75.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXjxF4W5qUGchdegKJAGe6g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. North of the intersection, there is a Truck 93 sign: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9748085,-114.8463727,3a,75y,356.36h,82.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBU5ITvqCxAHyRz3J8OmJuQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. And from southbound there is a mainline US 93 sign: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9760453,-114.8462395,3a,75y,184.69h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sbXqR-yqQ2t4zOtHDopdK2A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. Only eastbound has correct Business 93 signage: https://www.google.com/maps/@35.97352,-114.8470058,3a,75y,59.93h,95.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sI2hzkYJo-elxS6ixgkoioQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. As for the approach from Buchannan Blvd., there is no signage for US/Business/Truck 93 whatsoever.

[The Ghostbuster]

If the Business 93 designation is eventually decommissioned (due to 93 being truncated, or some other reason), would it be replaced by a Business 11 designation, or would NV 172 be extended westward? Given the history of highway redesignations in the Boulder City/Las Vegas area, I would expect the latter to happen.

[roadfro]

MOD NOTE: An extended off-topic discussion developed in early August 2023, which came from the question above pertaining to why NDOT moved US 93 off the old route in Boulder City onto I-11 and developed into conversation about how US routes are handled with respect to overlapping Interstates and the US route grid in the western versus eastern US. Given over a page of discussion and the potential for broader discussion outside Pacific Southwest, these posts were split and moved to General Highway Talk in the thread linked below. –Roadfro

Differences in how US routes are handled between western and eastern US