Southwest Area Connector improvements by NDOT will relieve congestion in Red Rock Canyon by providing smoother traffic flow in the Southwest. One of the top 10 public recommendations to NDOT from the 2005 Safety Charettes was to: “Provide Alternate Commuter Routes Between the 215 and the SR 159/SR 160 Intersection.” NDOT has been working on this and the progress is detailed on the following press release:
Project updates:
June 26, 2009
Contact: Bob Mckenzie
Phone: (702) 385-6504
Blue Diamond Road Project Complete July 2
The Nevada Department of Transportation is set to open the third major phase of improvements to SR 160, Blue Diamond Rd, on July 2, providing improved traffic flows and traffic safety from Las Vegas Blvd. to Rainbow Blvd.
The $52 million project widened two miles of Blue Diamond Rd from two to eight lanes between Decatur and Rainbow Boulevards. A new cast-in-place single span bridge was built to carry vehicles over a railroad crossing that previously created traffic back ups.
To improve safety and travel, a new alignment now feeds Jones Blvd into Blue Diamond Rd south of the previous intersection, with a new traffic signal to improve safety at the intersection. Other project improvements include landscaping and aesthetic enhancements, as well as an improved traffic signal at Rainbow Blvd.
In the fall of 2006, the new Blue Diamond Interchange at I-15 opened with a new I-15 bridge structure and widening improvements between Las Vegas Blvd and Valley View. NDOT completed the second phase of Blue Diamond widening between Valley View Blvd and Decatur Blvd in the summer of 2007.
NDOT is scheduled to begin a project to widen SR 160 from Durango Dr to Red Rock Canyon Rd (SR 159) from two to four lanes with a raised median in the fall of 2009.
Carrying an ever-growing amount of commuter and commercial traffic between Las Vegas, the expanding population in Southwest Clark County and Pahrump, Blue Diamond Rd sees over 25,000 vehicles daily, up from over 10,000 vehicles in 1997.
See the RTC Study for additional suggested alternatives
