State Route 171 - Airport Connector
State Route 171 overlays the southernmost 0.693 miles of the Airport Connector, a limited-access spur that joins Interstate 215 (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) and Paradise Road to McCarran International Airport (LAS). Beginning at a trumpet interchange with I-215 (Exit 10), SR 171 travels northerly along the Airport Connector to a tunnel entrance under airport runways. From this point, airport authority assumes maintenance responsibility for the remainder of the connector to a pair of one way couplets for Paradise Road (south) and Swenson Street (north).
The entire Airport Connector, including the tunnel section, was completed and opened by 1994.
North
A series of guide signs shuttle motorists bound for McCarran International Airport (LAS) to domestic and international destinations as SR 171 begins its northerly stint along the Airport Connector.
07/21/14
Northbound traffic along the Airport Connector (SR 171) passes under a series of over crossings on the one quarter mile drive to Sunset Road (SR 562). A 55 mph speed limit was maintained on this stretch of the connector until 2020 when it dropped to 35 mph.
07/21/14
The Airport Connector meets Sunset Road (SR 562) at a grade separated interchange south of the tunnels leading to McCarran International Airport.
Sunset Road extends across the lower Las Vegas valley, with SR 562 overlaying a 4.778 mile1 segment of the arterial between Las Vegas Boulevard and the western urban limits of Henderson.
07/21/14
SR 171 north officially ends as the Airport Connector passes under Sunset Road (SR 562) and continues into LAS Airport. Guide signs partition motorists bound for Terminals 1 and 3 ahead of the tunnel.
07/21/14
The connector initially enters a three tube tunnel, measuring 2,740 feet in length. The tubes were constructed under runways 08L/26R and 08R/26L2 between 1993 and 1994.
The Airport Connector tunnel opened to vehicular traffic December 1994 and was part of the original I-15/McCarran connector project (I-215).
07/21/14
Emerging from the tunnel, ramps shuttle travelers to Terminals 1 and 3. Terminal 1 (T1) serves domestic flights while Terminal 3 (T3) primarily serves international flights.
07/21/14
The northbound lanes of the Airport Connector shift under the ramp to Terminal 3 as a single lane ramp departs for Flight Path Avenue. Flight Path Avenue serves as a connector road between Terminals 1 and 3.
07/21/14
Various advertisement boards line the Airport Connector as it passes east of Terminal 1.
07/21/14
The limited-access Airport Connector ends at the ensuing traffic signal with Russell Road.
07/21/14
Russell Road travels east from the Airport Connector into Paradise and Henderson. The four lane arterial ends in east Henderson opposite of Sam Boyd Stadium.
Swenson Street otherwise continues northward from Russell Road to Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road.
07/21/14
North of Russell Road, Paradise Road and Swenson Street separate into one way couplets. Swenson Street carries northbound traffic from McCarran International Airport (LAS) to Harmon Avenue.
07/21/14
References:
- State Maintained Highways of Nevada - Descriptions and Maps, January 2018 edition.
- LAS McCarran International Airport, SkyVector Aeronautical Charts - accessed August 4, 2018.
Photo Credits:
- Alex Nitzman: 07/21/14
Connect with:
Page Updated Sunday July 01, 2018.