Posted on 12/29/2018 8:11:58 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A city with historic origins made history again when the first new federal interstate in almost 30 years opened in town.
On Aug. 9, federal, state and local officials gathered at a scenic overlook on Interstate 11 in Boulder City to officially open the highway.
“When we work (and) collaborate together, we reach great heights, like today,” said Mayor Rod Woodbury.
The 15-mile stretch of I-11 runs from Henderson to the Hoover Dam and goes around Boulder City. It is expected to reduce travel times between those areas by as much as 30 minutes, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
NDOT and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada worked jointly on the road, which cost $318 million. It was paid for through federal and state funds with Clark County’s fuel revenue indexing tax.
Boulder City resident and state Sen. Joe Hardy Jr. reminisced about his time on the Boulder City Council, when he realized something needed to be done to make travel faster and traffic safer.
“This could not have happened without Republicans and Democrats not only reaching across the aisle but cooperating across the aisle,” he said.
He also said that rather than being known as the Boulder City Bypass, I-11 should be known as Boulder City’s Gateway to Nevada.
City Manager Al Noyola called the opening monumental and an important step in transforming the city to meet the changes coming in the 21st century.
The celebration, witnessed by a small herd of bighorn sheep overlooking the interstate, featured performances by Boulder City High School’s marching band and cheerleaders, along with the Vegas Golden Knights’ Drumbots and cheerleaders.
Numerous elected officials, including Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Dean Heller, Reps. Dina Titus and Ruben Kihuen and county Commissioners Larry Brown and Jim Gibson, thanked those who worked on the interstate and noted the collaborative spirit that enabled its construction.
As the interstate takes traffic around town, there have been some concerns about how that will hurt local businesses.
“I think it means we’re going to have some certainty about the impacts,” said Woodbury. “There will be both opportunities and challenges.”
Instead of hurting businesses, he thinks it could help them.
“I think they’ll find more people will visit because of less traffic,” he said.
“This will be good for the city, especially with all the traffic crippling it right now,” said former Mayor Roger Tobler, who was instrumental in getting the project started.
Tobler said he worked with all the businesses along Boulder City Parkway, and the vast majority of them want the bypass.
Though in the short term there will have to be some adjustments to people’s habits of patronizing businesses along the stretch west of Buchanan Boulevard, Tobler said, the mid-term and long-term prospects for success look good.
Boulder City Chamber of Commerce CEO Jill Rowland-Lagan said she also thinks there will be more local opportunities with I-11 open as people will see how easy it is to get to town.
“It’s a great place to go, and they can get there quick,” she said.
The interstate is the first step in linking Las Vegas to Phoenix, and it’s set to eventually stretch from Mexico to Canada.
About 500 people attended the grand opening.
Sure will be nice when we can avoid that idiotic roundabout north of Wickenburg. Who thought that was a good idea?
US 93 is a whole lot better than it was 30 years ago, but I still have to take to the shoulder about every 10 or 12 trips to avoid a head-on with some idiot trying to pass where there’s no room.
It takes about the same level of effort and money to build a mile of interstate as it does to build a mile of border wall.
Ashford? You mean Ash Fork?
You pretty much nailed it. Logic would dictate 93 merged into I-11 if they wanted to call it that and bypass Kingman altogether. Clearly the powers that be are pushing for Kingman to be included in this though so it will have a minimal impact on loss of food and gas sales taxes. It’s pretty much what keeps Kingman afloat. Take it away and Kingman will have to figure out a way to make itself relevant in some other way such as a hub or industrial business improvements. While it does have historical value it isn’t enough to make it a destination spot IMHO. It could bill itself as the premiere start/stop spot for the beginning/end of the longest stretch of Rt. 66 still surviving.
Yes, sorry, Ash Fork.
Autofill, or whatever it’s called, claims another victim, I’ll bet.
Not enough traffic usually is it till
you get up to Hawthorne and Schurz
the Alien whorehouse...kills me
But if it is slated for Reno, it will end up far west of i-15.
In the east, the i-99 corridor between Williamsburg, PA and Corning, NY is between i-79 and i-81.
Auto-correct is my worst enema.
Well then..maybe the powers that be had better rethink their brilliance of the proposed city tax hadnt they?
Funny thing that. Never had thoughts of that until they found that the I 11 proposal included Kingman.
What a bunch..
About 9 thousand people here in this valley depending on the time of year.
Kingman makes itself relevant because California gasoline is about a $1.20 more. Going east or west on I-40 everyone knows that and there is little worthwhile down the hill in Toprock. I actually like the town and generally stop and eat there when I am coming from 1-40 and dropping south on 93 to Phoenix.
Notice all the big box grocery stores are within the Kingman city limits? Yeah; they want their tax money there too. To heck with anyone who has to travel 15 or 20 miles just to buy some basics. If it wasn't so cheap to live in this area I'd be gone. Pretty much sick of the Kingman attitude in general.
There are a couple of fuel and food stations for cars and trucks at the Havasu turn off too.
First in 30 years? BS!
I-55 opened less than 30 years ago.
Thanks Tol,
I find the cost interesting - at $21M per mile. I realize it’s empty desert there, but even so, it’s costing California $100M per mile for the first segment of their ‘bullet train’ and most of that runs through now-draughted out farmland.
Could build a LOT of MILES of freeway for $21M per mile...but instead we build trains that no one uses.
I guess the United States had its day...
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