New push for I-11 (LV to Phoenix)

[brad2971]

"The two sides of the Hoover Dam Bypass arch will meet next month, closing an 80 foot gap between the two. Work on that bridge is scheduled for completion in late 2010, so there's one section of potential Interstate 11 coming to fruition."

I saw that article, and frankly the 21K VPD estimate for 2017 seems rather low. After this economy improves, I could easily see 30K VPD on that stretch by 2017. Of course, that's going to come at the expense of both I-40 and the Nevada 163/Arizona 68 pairing. Which makes one wonder why Laughlin and Bullhead City are going ahead with plans to start construction on a second bridge next year.

[AZDude]

I imagine the road ending up like this (at least for the long term) if a freeway from Phoenix to Las Vegas were to be built.

1. The current I-515 as it stands today...
2. From there the road contines as a freeway with an interchange at Rail Road pass and a new one at U.S. 95. 
3. A gap in freeway through Boulder City.
4. Then U.S. 93 resumes as a freeway with the Hoover Dam Bypass. 
5. Once crossing into Arizona the freeway would end and be a two lane highway (like it is now) till mile 17.
6. The freeway would resume from mile 17 to about mile 70 (the current divided expressway).
7. Gap in freeway for about one mile through Beale Street in Kingman before meeting I-40.
8. U.S. 93 merges with I-40 for about 23 miles...
9. Once braching off I-40, U.S. 93 resumes on it's own as a freeway till just northwest of Wikieup.
10.  U.S. 93's freeway ends and contines as a surface street in Wikieup. (about 2-3 miles).
11.  Freeway resumes outside Wikieup and continues along the current expressway section to where it ends at about mile 160ish.
12. Then a new (unbuilt) divided section would continue the freeway from there to AZ 89.
13. From there the freeway would end and the road would continue as a regular highway the rest of the way to Phoenix or what have you.

[roadfro]

I imagine the road ending up like this (at least for the long term) if a freeway from Phoenix to Las Vegas were to be built.

1. The current I-515 as it stands today...
2. From there the road contines as a freeway with an interchange at Rail Road pass and a new one at U.S. 95. 
3. A gap in freeway through Boulder City.
4. Then U.S. 93 resumes as a freeway with the Hoover Dam Bypass. 
5. ...

Your imagination has not accounted for the Boulder City Bypass, which will be a freeway bypass circling Boulder City far to the south and east (in the mountains).  It will connect directly to I-515 and the Hoover Dam Bypass, and will be constructed to Interstate standards.  The bypass will have interchanges with existing US 93 (which would presumably become US 93 Business) on either end, as well a new interchange with US 95.  This has cleared environmental studies, and the first phase is nearly ready for the bid phase.  Phase 2 has yet to be designed or funded, though, and is currently on NDOT's long-range planning scope.

[Terry Shea]

I imagine the road ending up like this (at least for the long term) if a freeway from Phoenix to Las Vegas were to be built.

1. The current I-515 as it stands today...
2. From there the road contines as a freeway with an interchange at Rail Road pass and a new one at U.S. 95. 
3. A gap in freeway through Boulder City.
4. Then U.S. 93 resumes as a freeway with the Hoover Dam Bypass. 
5. Once crossing into Arizona the freeway would end and be a two lane highway (like it is now) till mile 17.
6. The freeway would resume from mile 17 to about mile 70 (the current divided expressway).
7. Gap in freeway for about one mile through Beale Street in Kingman before meeting I-40.
8. U.S. 93 merges with I-40 for about 23 miles...
9. Once braching off I-40, U.S. 93 resumes on it's own as a freeway till just northwest of Wikieup.
10.  U.S. 93's freeway ends and contines as a surface street in Wikieup. (about 2-3 miles).
11.  Freeway resumes outside Wikieup and continues along the current expressway section to where it ends at about mile 160ish.
12. Then a new (unbuilt) divided section would continue the freeway from there to AZ 89.
13. From there the freeway would end and the road would continue as a regular highway the rest of the way to Phoenix or what have you.

No, that would only happen if both states somehow became part of Michigan! 

[AZDude]

Lol, or California. 

[jgb191]

Any other ideas on where would this new Phoenix-Las Vegas corridor intersect with I-40?  Maybe going through Kingman?

[Sykotyk]

Any other ideas on where would this new Phoenix-Las Vegas corridor intersect with I-40?  Maybe going through Kingman?

That would make the most sense. Then multiplex with i-40 to where US-93 breaks off south again.

Sykotyk

[Scott5114]

[EDIT: Another article mistakenly posted to new thread]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/09/15/20090915newinterstate0915.html

[golden eagle]

From the article:

The Arizona Department of Transportation broadened the region's studies and launched a statewide long-range plan. It shows that by 2050, without new freeways, it will take Phoenix residents five hours to get out of town.

Wow! I can't even imagine rush hour.

[leifvanderwall]

I-11 Sounds good to me! Let's do it.

[Bickendan]

I grabbed the smiley, shoved a bike pump in its mouth...

It's a smiley used at couple boards I frequent, so I swiped it for my own board (where I'm hosting it from).

[bookem]

Considering these two population centers are two of the most rapidly growing in the US (or were until the economy tanked), it only makes sense to have a direct Intersate link between them.  It was mentioned upthread that extending I-11 north beyond Vegas would be pipe-dreamish, and perhaps it is, but hear me out.... 

I could see a longer I-11 doing one of two things:

* Alleviating some I-5 traffic by offering a more direct link between the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest; it would travel along US 95 to Reno and then US 395 to OR and WA (possibly transitioning onto US 97 at home point to offer closer connections to Portland and Seattle).  In short, it could serve as the western version of I-81; i.e., not passing through very many large population centers but still serving as an important corridor between two regions.

* Continue along US 93 to Boise (and possibly even Spokane).

[xonhulu]

I could see a longer I-11 doing one of two things:

* Alleviating some I-5 traffic by offering a more direct link between the Southwest and the Pacific Northwest; it would travel along US 95 to Reno and then US 395 to OR and WA (possibly transitioning onto US 97 at home point to offer closer connections to Portland and Seattle).  In short, it could serve as the western version of I-81; i.e., not passing through very many large population centers but still serving as an important corridor between two regions.

Do people put so much faith in interstates that they would travel them exclusively despite a shorter non-interstate option being available?  Most people I know in Oregon wouldn't even consider taking I-5 to get to Las Vegas or Phoenix; they take US 95 to Vegas, then US 93 on to Phoenix.  So if people are already aware of this option and take it, is it really necessary to upgrade it to interstate when current traffic volumes don't justify it?

[agentsteel53]

Do people put so much faith in interstates that they would travel them exclusively despite a shorter non-interstate option being available?  Most people I know in Oregon wouldn't even consider taking I-5 to get to Las Vegas or Phoenix; they take US 95 to Vegas, then US 93 on to Phoenix.  So if people are already aware of this option and take it, is it really necessary to upgrade it to interstate when current traffic volumes don't justify it?

how do they get to US-95?  It is in the far southeastern part of the state.  Do they take 140?

[froggie]

Do people put so much faith in interstates that they would travel them exclusively despite a shorter non-interstate option being available?

Experience suggests that for some travelers, the answer is yes.

You also have to consider that the Interstate shield is a brand name, if you will.  A guarantee that (a few exceptions notwithstanding) you'll be on a 4+ lane freeway.  You don't have that guarantee with U.S. or state routes.

[xonhulu]

how do they get to US-95?  It is in the far southeastern part of the state.  Do they take 140?

Most Oregonians have no problem driving on non-interstates, as there are very few interstates here.  Up here in the Willamette Valley, it's generally I-5, OR 58, US 97, OR 39/CA 139, CA 299, US 395, I-80, US 95A, US 95; or OR 22, US 20, US 97, OR 31, US 395, I-80, US 95A, US 95.  I'd even rather take OR 22, US 20, OR 78, US 95 then head south.  When I lived in southern Oregon, we took I-5, CA 89, CA 44, CA 36, US 395.  This isn't just me; everyone I know takes one of these combinations of routes.

I'll admit, though, that was in our younger days.  Nowadays, I'd fly down and rent a car.  My point was, we never considered taking I-5 all the way through California to get to Vegas or Phoenix, except maybe in winter.  Cutting through the LA region just isn't worth it.  I-5 traffic from the NW is predominantly heading to California.

However, if the politicians bought the economic development aspect of an interstate here, I could conceive it possible to build this interstate.  Remember, some Oregon politicians proposed the upgrade of US 97 for exactly that reason.

[oscar]

how do they get to US-95?  It is in the far southeastern part of the state.  Do they take 140?

I suspect most Oregonians would not want to get to US 95 in the first place.  That seems to be mainly a Boise-Reno route that only cuts through a corner (and a rather empty and boring one at that) of Oregon.

[agentsteel53]

a corner (and a rather empty and boring one at that) of Oregon.

I quite like US-95 in Oregon simply because it is so completely abandoned!

alas, when I drove it in Dec 2007, there were no old cutouts left.  I'd thought that, of all the US routes in Oregon, 95 would be the one that the highway department would be least likely to visit regularly ... well, they visit it often enough, unfortunately.

[roadfro]

Turning Nevada US 95 into an Interstate would be akin to I-5 in the middle of California...a long Interstate in the middle of nowhere. The only difference would be that the rural US 95 Interstate would probably carry one-fifth the traffic of I-5.  An Interstate along US 93 in Nevada would carry even less traffic.

The pipe dream of any more rural Nevada Interstate highways isn't worth the amount of money it would take to build it nor the relatively small amount of traffic that would actually use it.

[Rover_0]

I got an email that said that this is, right now, a concept.  It still may take years to become an Interstate.

I did get a letter from Peter Jager at UDOT, and he thinks that this should carry an even number, like I-12.  (If that were the case, I'd go with I-46 (using its west end at Las Vegas).  However, this route is going to be a major north-south connector, so I'd keep it odd.

[Scott5114]

Why 46? It's not like there's ever going to be a need for a route south of this route and north of 40, is there? I'd go ahead and number it I-42, freeing up the 46 number for any potential east-west route falling between Las Vegas and Cove Fort (or Oklahoma City and Kansas City, or Wilmington NC and Washington DC, or...) Plus that way we get to make Douglas Adams references.

[Bickendan]

^On that note, I used to work at a local fast food chain. My store was #42...

[Rover_0]

Yea, 42 would work, as well...

[myosh_tino]

I'll admit, though, that was in our younger days.  Nowadays, I'd fly down and rent a car.  My point was, we never considered taking I-5 all the way through California to get to Vegas or Phoenix, except maybe in winter.  Cutting through the LA region just isn't worth it.  I-5 traffic from the NW is predominantly heading to California.

You do realize that traffic on I-5 headed to Las Vegas won't ever reach the Los Angeles basin.  When I drive to Vegas from the San Francisco Bay Area, I use I-5 to CA-46 to CA-99 to CA-58 to I-15.  CA-46 is a 2-lane highway that is lightly travelled (cruising speed is 55-65 MPH) and CA-58 has 2 sections of 2-lane highway around Kramer's Junction (junction with US 395) and east of Barstow.  Other than that, you're on 4-lane divided freeways or expressways.  There are also plans to upgrade all of CA-58 from I-5 to Barstow to at least a 4-lane expressway with the new sections being 4-lane freeways.

I have relatives living in Seattle and if they want to go to Vegas, they fly.

[Quillz]

or even I-17, and renumber current I-17 to I-19.  Dunno how Arizona managed to get two two-digit interstates all to itself!

I remember reading once a good idea: Turn I-17 and I-19 into one long intrastate and renumber it I-21, so that way you have I-17 and I-19 available for re-use.

A freeway from Las Vegas to Phoenix can't be I-11 or I-13 because it's a numbering violation.