The US 93 Hoover Dam Bypass bridge is about to reach a major milestone. The gap between the arches, which will support the bridge deck and viewing walkway, is about to be closed. See this article/video (http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10829273&nav=15MW) from Las Vegas' KVBC-TV 3 traffic reporter Tom Hawley.
Project website: http://www.hooverdambypass.org (http://www.hooverdambypass.org)
I saw this when I was at Hoover Dam last year. I didn't know it was going to be for U.S. 93, though.
Quote from: golden eagle on September 06, 2009, 03:45:16 PM
I saw this when I was at Hoover Dam last year. I didn't know it was going to be for U.S. 93, though.
And why would you think they'd have kept US 93 on the dam? The whole idea of the bridge is to keep through traffic moving (and thus safer for those who actually get off to visit the dam), so of course US 93 will be moved to it.
That was my first time ever going to Hoover Dam and I guess it never occurred to me to find out exactly what it was being built for. It does make sense, though, given all the traffic that passes through the area on a daily basis.
Quote from: golden eagle on September 06, 2009, 10:44:00 PM
That was my first time ever going to Hoover Dam and I guess it never occurred to me to find out exactly what it was being built for. It does make sense, though, given all the traffic that passes through the area on a daily basis.
Actually they just want more security for the dam itself. A terrorist attack on the dam would be devastating! They can't keep stopping cars and causing traffic jams on a 2 lane road. Having a freeway for thru traffic and a short 2-lane "service road" to the dam itself will cause a lot less headaches and make security much easier.
Quote from: Terry Shea on September 10, 2009, 11:20:13 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on September 06, 2009, 10:44:00 PM
That was my first time ever going to Hoover Dam and I guess it never occurred to me to find out exactly what it was being built for. It does make sense, though, given all the traffic that passes through the area on a daily basis.
Actually they just want more security for the dam itself. A terrorist attack on the dam would be devastating! They can't keep stopping cars and causing traffic jams on a 2 lane road. Having a freeway for thru traffic and a short 2-lane "service road" to the dam itself will cause a lot less headaches and make security much easier.
This bypass was planned long before 2001.
Mike
Quote from: mgk920 on September 11, 2009, 11:23:39 AM
Quote from: Terry Shea on September 10, 2009, 11:20:13 PM
Quote from: golden eagle on September 06, 2009, 10:44:00 PM
That was my first time ever going to Hoover Dam and I guess it never occurred to me to find out exactly what it was being built for. It does make sense, though, given all the traffic that passes through the area on a daily basis.
Actually they just want more security for the dam itself. A terrorist attack on the dam would be devastating! They can't keep stopping cars and causing traffic jams on a 2 lane road. Having a freeway for thru traffic and a short 2-lane "service road" to the dam itself will cause a lot less headaches and make security much easier.
This bypass was planned long before 2001.
Mike
Terrorism and security issues have been around since long before 2001. I remember talk of dam security being an issue during the cold war in the '60's and '70's. The incidents of Sept. 11 may have helped speed up the process though, and I don't remember them stopping cars along the route before then.
Security over the dam was not a major public concern prior to 2001. If it was, it was never really discussed at length as I was growing up in Vegas. Security checkpoints were not in place on US 93 until they reopened the highway over the dam after September 11th.
The Hoover Dam Bypass project had been talked about since at least the mid 1990s (if not earlier). US 93 in this area became part of the CANAMEX Corridor (High Priority Corridor 26) (https://www.aaroads.com/high-priority/corr26.html) in 1995. Being designated high-priority/trade corridor, as well as the only direct route between Las Vegas and Phoenix, the route has needed improvement for some time. Prior to the mandatory truck detour following 9/11, probably about 20% of the traffic across the dam was big rigs. Combining that with the winding, sight-limited 2-lane approaches to the dam and all the pedestrian/tourist traffic on the dam itself, US 93 was a major bottleneck. All this was the major impetus for planning the bypass in the first place, and funding opportunities through the TEA-21 Legislation is probably what really started speeding up the planning process.
It's a good thing the dam bridge is getting built! Now we need to get that dam bypass open so we won't have so many dam security concerns!
The jokes have been moved to Off-Topic (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?board=9). Please click the below link to keep having fun. This thread is now SERIOUS. :eyebrow:
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1633.0 (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1633.0)
I just noticed that the 2010 RM Road Atlas actually has this marked as a completed other multilane highway. (albiet with the yellow-green shading indicating construction) and the soon-to-be-old road is marked with the grey line (indicating a minor highway)
Seems they're pretty confident. :-/
Quote from: Master son on October 24, 2009, 11:29:19 PM
I just noticed that the 2010 RM Road Atlas actually has this marked as a completed other multilane highway. (albiet with the yellow-green shading indicating construction) and the soon-to-be-old road is marked with the grey line (indicating a minor highway)
Seems they're pretty confident. :-/
The projected opening date for the bypass is Fall 2010. In the latest project newsletter, they estimate about 11 months of work following removal of the cable stay system that supported the arch construction. The cable system was removed by the end of September, so the projected opening should equate to late August 2010 barring any unforseen difficulties.
Sounds to me that Rand McNally jumped the gun a bit, cause it seems like the bypass won't really be open until it's about time to publish the next version of the map... :-/
Update: According to the latest project newsletter on www.hooverdambypass.org, the majority of the bypass construction should be complete by September 2010. Traffic should be allowed on the bridge/bypass by November.
The pedestrian parking area, interpretive plaza, and trail to the viewing sidewalk along the bridge won't be finished until after most major construction is finished...possibly not until after the bypass and bridge are open to traffic.
There's going to be a grand opening event (http://www.celebratehooverbridge.com/) October 16. It's an event I sort of want to attend if I can swing the time off and expenses. If I can't go to this, then I want to get over there at some point after the bridge opens to traffic, possibly in November. If plans come to fruition, I'll keep you posted.
Quote from: rawmustard on August 20, 2010, 10:38:22 PM
There's going to be a grand opening event (http://www.celebratehooverbridge.com/) October 16. It's an event I sort of want to attend if I can swing the time off and expenses. If I can't go to this, then I want to get over there at some point after the bridge opens to traffic, possibly in November. If plans come to fruition, I'll keep you posted.
I'm headed to Las Vegas in November. Seeing and driving on the new bridge is definitely on my do-to list.
I have a business trip in LV this week and possibly a couple hours to drive out to the bridge site in the daytime. Can anyone recommend good parking/vantage points for taking photos of the bridge?
You can get some closeup shots underneath the bridge along the switchbacks on the Nevada side. Other than that, the best vantage point to view the whole bridge will probably be from Hoover Dam itself. Parking is available in the visitor center garage ($7) on the Nevada side or along some of the switchbacks just above the dam on the Arizona side (free).
I'll have more photos on my Flickr page; but for now, here's a new Nevada route number for the old US 93 when the bypass opens. I haven't seen anything else about NV 172 online. Photo is taken southbound on the Nevada side.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fkurumi.com%2Fpics%2Fnv172.jpg&hash=06bfcb5e6fc40198ba4048f149fc2c12e613fed0)
I'm *very* confused as to why that photo appears to show only one lane in the southbound direction... I know that just north of the bypass project, the road is narrower, but I thought the entire bypass roadways were supposed to be two lanes each way.
Quote from: kurumi on October 07, 2010, 11:42:53 AM
I'll have more photos on my Flickr page; but for now, here's a new Nevada route number for the old US 93 when the bypass opens. I haven't seen anything else about NV 172 online. Photo is taken southbound on the Nevada side.
Just last night, I removed a link to SR 172 that somebody had added to a Wikipedia page...
I hadn't found anything else about SR 172 online either. The NDOT state highway logs for the last several years had shown NDOT maintenance for US 93 beginning 1.612 miles west of the AZ state line, so I just assumed the road down to the dam had been given to BLM or National Park Service to control.
According to the Vegas area newspapers, the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman memorial bridge will be dedicated next week. Traffic could be on the bypass by the end of October.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/bridge-rises-under-a-shadow-104659159.html
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/oct/07/hoover-dam-bridge-dedication-planned-next-week/
NV-172 should be a 3dus...
Quote from: roadfro on October 10, 2010, 03:08:02 PM
I'm *very* confused as to why that photo appears to show only one lane in the southbound direction... I know that just north of the bypass project, the road is narrower, but I thought the entire bypass roadways were supposed to be two lanes each way.
The southbound road widens to two lanes shortly after the exit. The FHWA Record of Decision (http://www.hooverdambypass.org/pdfs/rod.pdf) (1.4 MB pdf) shows the project's northern (western) start basically at this interchange. (I walked to the site from a parking lot at the Hacienda Hotel, which is shown outside the project limits.)
Quote from: KEK Inc. on October 11, 2010, 01:32:14 AM
NV-172 should be a 3dus...
It's waaaaaaaay too short.
Quote from: Scott5114 on October 11, 2010, 10:13:23 AM
Quote from: KEK Inc. on October 11, 2010, 01:32:14 AM
NV-172 should be a 3dus...
It's waaaaaaaay too short.
It still crosses state borders. It'd be temporary, since I-11 could have the old US-93 run the Hoover Dam Route.
According to one of the articles posted in the thread, the current US93 will no longer be a through route once the new bypass opens, with the new NV172 crossing the dam and dead-ending.
But, yes, five miles is way too short for a 3dus. NV172 is fine.
What will the AZ section of US 93 be once it crosses the dam? Will it be state-maintained or handed over for county maintenance?
According to Copper2010, he claims that the road will end at the dam, and the Arizona section will no longer exist. I think that's pointless, but I can see how that's advantageous for security.
Quote from: kurumi on October 11, 2010, 02:23:48 AM
Quote from: roadfro on October 10, 2010, 03:08:02 PM
I'm *very* confused as to why that photo appears to show only one lane in the southbound direction... I know that just north of the bypass project, the road is narrower, but I thought the entire bypass roadways were supposed to be two lanes each way.
The southbound road widens to two lanes shortly after the exit. The FHWA Record of Decision (http://www.hooverdambypass.org/pdfs/rod.pdf) (1.4 MB pdf) shows the project's northern (western) start basically at this interchange. (I walked to the site from a parking lot at the Hacienda Hotel, which is shown outside the project limits.)
I had forgotten that the project limits were basically co-terminus with the interchange. Existing US 93 west of here is two-lane briefly into Boulder City.
Perhaps they wanted to leave this not fully improved, in the thought that existing US 93 might be widened. Ultimately, the mainline alignment will probably curve to the south when the Boulder City Bypass comes through--that project's eastern (southbound) limits are also roughly this interchange. (A lack of funding is probably pushing that project at least 10+ years into the future, unless something changes).
Quote from: ausinterkid on October 11, 2010, 05:02:42 PM
What will the AZ section of US 93 be once it crosses the dam? Will it be state-maintained or handed over for county maintenance?
Quote from: KEK Inc. on October 11, 2010, 08:18:26 PM
According to Copper2010, he claims that the road will end at the dam, and the Arizona section will no longer exist. I think that's pointless, but I can see how that's advantageous for security.
According to those articles, vehicles will still be able to cross the dam from the Nevada side and park on the Arizona side...this parking access is being kept for larger vehicles and buses that cannot park in the structure on the Nevada side and would otherwise have no place to unload or turn around. The road would be blocked just past the parking areas.
I believe the existing US 93 on the Arizona side will be maintained as a roadway in some form, as a full interchange was constructed near the project limits on the Arizona side. There would be no access to the dam itself from this side. Presumably, the old highway would be used as an access road to power transmission lines and other random things that are out there. No clue as to whether it would be state highway or county road on the AZ side.
I added some photos in Flickr: US 93 set (http://www.flickr.com/photos/therealkurumi/sets/72157625176926896/)
There was an opening ceremony today: http://www.examiner.com/day-trips-in-phoenix/hoover-dam-bypass-bridge-opening-celebration-today.
I'm not sure when it will fully open to traffic, or when the US 93 designation will be moved.
There was an article about the dam bridge in the paper out here. Guess this is pretty dam important!
(I am so sorry)
Quote from: Scott5114 on October 16, 2010, 10:01:44 PM
There was an article about the dam bridge in the paper out here. Guess this is pretty dam important!
(I am so sorry)
Don't be. Perhaps we should try to resurrect the currently locked Dam Jokes thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1633.0) on the Off-Topic board. :spin:
Quote from: myosh_tino on October 16, 2010, 10:31:56 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on October 16, 2010, 10:01:44 PM
There was an article about the dam bridge in the paper out here. Guess this is pretty dam important!
(I am so sorry)
Don't be. Perhaps we should try to resurrect the currently locked Dam Jokes thread (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=1633.0) on the Off-Topic board. :spin:
Don't you dare...
Quote from: kurumi on October 16, 2010, 03:42:08 PM
I'm not sure when it will fully open to traffic, or when the US 93 designation will be moved.
An article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal covering the dedication ceremony indicated that the bridge should be open to traffic by late next week.
I haven't seen anything regarding officially moving the US 93 designation to the bypass. The AASHTO route numbering committee meets just prior to the main AASHTO fall meeting/conference, which starts on October 28th this year. I cannot find the page where they used to post proposed numbering changes prior to their committee meetings (as they've done with the past few meetings), so I don't know if a joint NDOT/ADOT application has been submitted.
EDIT: Found the page, but there's no new proposals or other documents posted beyond the May 2010 committee minutes...
Quote from: roadfro on October 17, 2010, 06:23:00 PM
EDIT: Found the page, but there's no new proposals or other documents posted beyond the May 2010 committee minutes...
That's weird. They normally have them posted by now.....
Now that the bridge is really open, I'm planning a visit next month. But I'm hoping to bicycle across in both directions.
Which leads to my question: I haven't been able to find anything about everyday bicycle access to the bridge. It seems safe to assume that the shoulders are legal bike lanes, but if I'm approaching from the Nevada side, how far will I have to go into Arizona before I can turn around and return?
Perhaps I'm just not very good with teh google.
The bypass is a freeway-grade facility. I haven't seen it for sure, but I would imagine that bicycling would be prohibited on the portions of the bridge designed for vehicles. There's no real significant amount of bicycle traffic going on this portion of US 93 regularly
If the bridge isn't prohibited to bicycles, you'd have to go all the way to the Arizona interchange before you could turn around. I believe this is about 2 miles past the bridge, making it about a 10-mile round trip starting from the Nevada interchange.
I just saw a video that somebody posted when they drove over the bridge and I saw no pedestrian walkway and no bicycle area.
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on October 21, 2010, 08:13:10 PM
I just saw a video that somebody posted when they drove over the bridge and I saw no pedestrian walkway and no bicycle area.
The walkway is on the east side of the bridge (the side closer to the dam). It is separated from the driving lanes by a fairly high concrete barrier.
Mike
Quote from: roadfro on October 21, 2010, 03:39:24 AM
The bypass is a freeway-grade facility. I haven't seen it for sure, but I would imagine that bicycling would be prohibited on the portions of the bridge designed for vehicles.
That doesn't mean much out west of the Mississippi. For example, Oregon -- the state where I do know the bike laws -- bicycles are permitted on the interstates outside of urban areas (Portland, Eugene/Springfield, Medford, possibly Hood River and The Dalles). It's prohibited on US 26 from exit 73 (Canyon Rd/SW Jefferson St) to I-405 (so through the Glencullen/Vista Ridge Tunnel), US 30 from NW Nicolai St to exit 16 on I-84, I-205 north of exit 8 (OR 43) (there's a bike path parallel to the freeway -- with ODOT approved mileposts, north to south!!!), I-5 from exit 289 to Vancouver, and the length of I-405. Eugene, it's the length of the OR 126 freeway (inclusive of I-105), more than likely the length of OR 569, and logically, the length of Delta Highway, and I-5 from OR 99 to OR 569. Exits 27-30 in Medford, possibly 33 in Central Point.
QuoteIf the bridge isn't prohibited to bicycles, you'd have to go all the way to the Arizona interchange before you could turn around. I believe this is about 2 miles past the bridge, making it about a 10-mile round trip starting from the Nevada interchange.
That sounds like a good short ride. I'll need to do that sometime.
Quote from: mgk920 on October 21, 2010, 11:30:41 PM
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on October 21, 2010, 08:13:10 PM
I just saw a video that somebody posted when they drove over the bridge and I saw no pedestrian walkway and no bicycle area.
The walkway is on the east side of the bridge (the side closer to the dam). It is separated from the driving lanes by a fairly high concrete barrier.
The concrete barriers walls on the bridge were purposefully designed so that you cannot see Hoover Dam from most passenger vehicles...this is to discourage drivers from slowing/stopping on the bridge in order to look at the dam. The wall height is also to deter people on the walkway side from climbing over into the travel lanes.
Quote from: Bickendan on October 22, 2010, 01:41:21 AM
Quote from: roadfro on October 21, 2010, 03:39:24 AM
The bypass is a freeway-grade facility. I haven't seen it for sure, but I would imagine that bicycling would be prohibited on the portions of the bridge designed for vehicles.
That doesn't mean much out west of the Mississippi. For example, Oregon -- the state where I do know the bike laws -- bicycles are permitted on the interstates outside of urban areas (Portland, Eugene/Springfield, Medford, possibly Hood River and The Dalles).
Generally speaking, bicycles are typically prohibited on freeway-grade facilities. This is especially the case when there is a non-freeway facility nearby that provides reasonable access to or between the same points. I would imagine that bikes would be prohibited from the bypass and encouraged to take old US 93...I haven't been there to see it at all, so I can't speak with any certainty.
True, roadfro. Nevada requires bikers to exit at every town and can only reenter the freeway on the other side of town. It's pretty well signed on I-80, at least.
Sykotyk
I was in Las Vegas in early November and I made it a point to go visit the new US 93 bridge and I was blown away by how massive this bridge is and the views it provides of the Hoover Dam. Here are some of my observations...
From the Nevada side, US 93 is indeed only 2 lanes until it reaches the Hoover Dam exit (Exit 2, pictured in an earlier post). Only at that point does the road expand to 4 total lanes. The drive across the new bridge is pretty bland partly because the guardrails and center median are 5+ feet tall thus preventing drivers from seeing the dam or the Colorado River unless your in a semi.
While the bridge does have a pedestrian walkway on the dam side, you will need to take the Hoover Dam exit from US 93 and pass through the security checkpoint to access the rather small parking area. I got there around 9:30AM and was able to find parking pretty quickly but within minutes of getting out of my car, the entire lot filled up. From the parking area, to get to the bridge means walking up 3 flights of stairs or 6 switch backs although there are displays on how and why the bridge was built, how much it cost to build, the construction timeline and biographies of Pat Tillman and Mike O'Callaghan if you need a break. Once on the bridge, the views of the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead are breathtaking.
I probably spent over an hour on the bridge but then drove down to the Hoover Dam visitor center parking garage to get a view of the bridge from Hoover Dam. The view from the dam was equally breathtaking. I couldn't get to the observation deck (on top of the bronze circular building by the dam) to take more pictures of the bridge because I didn't want to pay $8 for access to that observation deck. BTW, the dam tour now costs $30, dam parking is $7 and, I swear this is true, the cafe in the parking structure is selling Dam and Double-Dam Cheeseburgers. I didn't notice the price but I'm sure they were going to be pretty darn high (ok, ok, I'll stop with the dam references before I get in trouble :D).
The only camera I had with me was my iPhone 4 camera which took pretty good pictures but next year (yes, I go the Las Vegas at least once a year), I've got to remember to take my digital camera.
Edit: One other thing I noticed. While the Hoover Dam exit from US 93 is numbered appropriately (Exit 2), the first exit on the Arizona side is also Exit 1 (or 2, can't remember). I'm pretty sure US 93 is a north-south highway so wouldn't Exit 1 (or 2) be located at US 93's southern terminus or does Arizona number exits from north-to-south rather than south-to-north?
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 19, 2010, 04:55:58 PM
BTW, the dam tour now costs $30, dam parking is $7
assholes.
I'd pay an extra $20 to skip the TSA.
Brent Jonas posted a northbound video of the bypass this week. Check it out!
A fantastic video. :clap:
Looks like a computer rendering. Must be the new pavement.
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 19, 2010, 04:55:58 PM
Edit: One other thing I noticed. While the Hoover Dam exit from US 93 is numbered appropriately (Exit 2), the first exit on the Arizona side is also Exit 1 (or 2, can't remember). I'm pretty sure US 93 is a north-south highway so wouldn't Exit 1 (or 2) be located at US 93's southern terminus or does Arizona number exits from north-to-south rather than south-to-north?
The Arizona exit is Exit 2 (Kingman Wash Access Road).
The Wikipedia article on US 93 in AZ indicates mileage increases from south to north, but I've seen ADOT press releases on the construction work that indicate the opposite.
Quote from: roadfro on November 20, 2010, 05:38:56 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 19, 2010, 04:55:58 PM
Edit: One other thing I noticed. While the Hoover Dam exit from US 93 is numbered appropriately (Exit 2), the first exit on the Arizona side is also Exit 1 (or 2, can't remember). I'm pretty sure US 93 is a north-south highway so wouldn't Exit 1 (or 2) be located at US 93's southern terminus or does Arizona number exits from north-to-south rather than south-to-north?
The Arizona exit is Exit 2 (Kingman Wash Access Road).
The Wikipedia article on US 93 in AZ indicates mileage increases from south to north, but I've seen ADOT press releases on the construction work that indicate the opposite.
Isn't that a little odd? A quick peek at the Arizona freeway system leads me to believe exit numbers increase from south to north (i.e. I-17) or west to east (i.e. US 60). Why US 93 is different puzzles me. I guess it's just an Arizona oddity.
Usually, exit numbers are reversed when a section of freeway can be extended southwards or westwards in the future. This is to avoid renumbering if that happens.
Example: ON-417.
Quote from: Dr Frankenstein on November 20, 2010, 09:36:42 PM
Usually, exit numbers are reversed when a section of freeway can be extended southwards or westwards in the future. This is to avoid renumbering if that happens.
Example: ON-417.
OK, I guess that makes sense. I thought US 93 went all the way to Phoenix but when I checked a map, it ends northwest of Phoenix in Wickenburg. If US 93 were to become I-11, I suspect that the route would be extended into Phoenix which would require renumbering the exits based on the current mileage of US 93.
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 20, 2010, 08:39:29 PM
Quote from: roadfro on November 20, 2010, 05:38:56 PM
Quote from: myosh_tino on November 19, 2010, 04:55:58 PM
Edit: One other thing I noticed. While the Hoover Dam exit from US 93 is numbered appropriately (Exit 2), the first exit on the Arizona side is also Exit 1 (or 2, can't remember). I'm pretty sure US 93 is a north-south highway so wouldn't Exit 1 (or 2) be located at US 93's southern terminus or does Arizona number exits from north-to-south rather than south-to-north?
The Arizona exit is Exit 2 (Kingman Wash Access Road).
The Wikipedia article on US 93 in AZ indicates mileage increases from south to north, but I've seen ADOT press releases on the construction work that indicate the opposite.
Isn't that a little odd? A quick peek at the Arizona freeway system leads me to believe exit numbers increase from south to north (i.e. I-17) or west to east (i.e. US 60). Why US 93 is different puzzles me. I guess it's just an Arizona oddity.
US 93 In Arizona From Hoover Dam To US 66 (Kingman) Was Part Of The Much Longer US 466 (Morro Bay, CA to Kingman, AZ via Fresno & Barstow CA & Las Vegas, NV)
US 466 was Decertified In Arizona In 1969, In California In 1970 and Nevada in 1971
US 466 Is East/West
In Arizona US 93 uses the mile markers of the former US 466
Yup, Arizona is a special case where it comes to mileposting and exit numbering--the starting milepost of I-17 is 194, for example, since I-17 covers old SR 69 mileage and SR 69's milepointing was projected back to the start of I-17 to obtain I-17's mileposts between its start and the current SR 69 interchange.
Oh wow, the divided section has been extended! I didn't know that! I haven't been through that section in almost three years. Thanks for the video, 5 stars!
The Las Vegas Sun has a report (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/29/boulder-city-gets-backing-over-bridge-traffic-comp/) about the sharp increase in traffic through Boulder City now that the bridge is open. One possibility being considered by Nevada DOT is reinstating the post-9/11 detour for commercial traffic, forcing trucks to travel through Laughlin and Searchlight to US 95. The problem is the lack of a bypass around Boulder City:
QuoteThe problem with constructing the bypass, said Jacob Snow, general manager of the RTC, has always been funding. Rudy Malfabon, deputy director for NDOT in Southern Nevada, estimated it would cost $360 million to build.
Quote from: Kniwt on December 30, 2010, 12:08:41 AM
The Las Vegas Sun has a report (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/dec/29/boulder-city-gets-backing-over-bridge-traffic-comp/) about the sharp increase in traffic through Boulder City now that the bridge is open. One possibility being considered by Nevada DOT is reinstating the post-9/11 detour for commercial traffic, forcing trucks to travel through Laughlin and Searchlight to US 95. The problem is the lack of a bypass around Boulder City:
QuoteThe problem with constructing the bypass, said Jacob Snow, general manager of the RTC, has always been funding. Rudy Malfabon, deputy director for NDOT in Southern Nevada, estimated it would cost $360 million to build.
I fail to see where US 93 drops to two lanes in Boulder City. Looks like a four lane highway to me, contrary to the article's assertion. Plenty of room to make sure it is, too.
The road drops to three lanes (two uphill, one downhill) just past the main intersection in central Boulder City. And at the bottom of the fairly steep hill (I've done it both directions on a bicycle, ouch), which may or may not technically still be in Boulder City, it's two lanes for a couple of miles past the final casino and until the beginning of the new bypass. (I looked at Google Maps, but their pics seem to have been taken right after the highway was resurfaced and not yet striped.)
And whether the highway (which itself was a "bypass" to begin with) is two, three, or four lanes, it's packed with intersections, signals, and local traffic, all of which make the case for another bypass.
Quote from: Kniwt on December 30, 2010, 09:21:39 PM
The road drops to three lanes (two uphill, one downhill) just past the main intersection in central Boulder City. And at the bottom of the fairly steep hill (I've done it both directions on a bicycle, ouch), which may or may not technically still be in Boulder City, it's two lanes for a couple of miles past the final casino and until the beginning of the new bypass. (I looked at Google Maps, but their pics seem to have been taken right after the highway was resurfaced and not yet striped.)
I see. Looks like a four-lane road with the third lane striped out for left turns, is the problem. I also noticed the 2-lane section east of Boulder City but it didn't seem like that was the focus of the article - it implied that the lanes dropped inside town.
Quote
And whether the highway (which itself was a "bypass" to begin with) is two, three, or four lanes, it's packed with intersections, signals, and local traffic, all of which make the case for another bypass.
That certainly I wouldn't dispute, but it wasn't the focus of the article.
What seems to be the major bottleneck is the main intersection at Nevada Way and Buchannan Blvd in Boulder City, as US 93 turns at this intersection. Another issue is the two-lane section from where the developed city peters out heading towards the dam down to the exit for Hoover Dam where the dam bypass project started--the implication in the article that US 93 is only two lanes through Boulder City is false, however. In any event, an article about this issue in the Las Vegas Review Journal on Thursday (http://www.lvrj.com/news/rtc-wants-law-to-temporarily-ban-tractor-trailers-on-dam-bypass-112620689.html) stated that the RTC wanted to declare "state of emergency" be declared in Boulder City to bring attention to the traffic problem...that seems very extreme to me.
NDOT has recently made some interim improvements along that northeast section within Boulder City to provide some safer access and merging space for the homes that are located just off of 93--so again, the implication that no improvements have happened in Boulder City on US 93 is false. US 95 south of BC was upgraded to divided highway in that time frame though, but that was due in large part to all the diverted traffic that had to go through Laughlin after 9/11, and was fast tracked because probably 95% of it was built in existing right of way in open desert.
In any case, the major relief the town seeks will come from the US 93 Boulder City Bypass. With the final EIS having selected the southern bypass alternative (which will take US 93 way south of Boulder City and through rugged mountain terrain on the east), finding the funding to construct this is going to take years. In my view, Boulder City residents brought their current plight on themselves by pushing for the southern bypass alignment--the through-town freeway alternative would have had a much smaller footprint, used about half the existing right of way through town, and probably could have been built quicker for about 1/3 the estimated cost of the southern alignment. Had the through-town option been chosen, as business leaders had wanted, I believe there's a high likelihood that it would be getting ready to bid or be under construction by now.