Stretch of Nellis set for $26M overhaul
Amajor road upgrade in east Las Vegas will improve north-south travel once the multiyear project is complete.
The $26 million, 10-mile upgrade off Nellis Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Craig Road kicks off Monday and is set to finish in mid-2022, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.
As part of the 370-working-day project, the Sahara Avenue, Charleston Boulevard and Bonanza Road intersections will undergo full-depth asphalt repaving with streetlight and signage improvements.
The concrete pavement at the Charleston, Sahara and Bonanza intersections will be removed and replaced with asphalt, except for the western leg of Bonanza, which will remain as concrete.
All pavement work at these intersections will be performed during marathon weekends that maintain a minimum of one through lane open in each direction, plus one turn lane in each direction.
To increase pedestrian safety along the busy road, which averages 34,340 vehicles daily, two push-button-activated pedestrian mid-block crossings with overhead rapid flashing beacons will be added at Newton Avenue and just north of Cheyenne Avenue.
Handicap-accessible ramps are set to be added along the stretch, with sidewalks and driveways being installed and concrete medians set to be reprofiled.
“These enhancements will rejuvenate a heavily traveled urban arterial with three school zones, creating a safer and more pedestrian friendly corridor,” said NDOT spokesman Tony
Illia. “This project will also generate 335 high-paying locally sourced direct, indirect and induced jobs.”
Nellis is classified as a principal arterial, as it features 12-foot-wide lanes and a posted speed limit of 35 to 45 mph with three school zones between Craig Road
and Tropicana Avenue.
“The project corridor has two through lanes per direction with a pedestrian sidewalk and a 12-footwide two-way left-turn lane,” Illia said. “From Boulder Highway to Craig Road, however, there are three through lanes per direction with a pedestrian sidewalk on both sides.”
The road also sees moderate to heavy truck traffic.
Las Vegas Paving Corp. is the general contractor on the project with a $25.8 million winning bid that was
nearly $8.7 million below the second-lowest bid of $34.5 million from Aggregate Industries SWR Inc.
Intelligent Transportation System facilities will also be added to collect information that will allow NDOT and emergency services to aid maintenance and incident response.
“ITS can encompass a broad range of wireless and traditional communications-based information and electronic technologies,” Illia said. “In this instance, it ties into FAST’S 600-plus-camera network, thereby allowing operators to monitor traffic flows, adjusting signal timing and dispatching first responders as necessary.”
Work will occur Sunday night through Friday evening, with initial construction starting at Tropicana, with varying lane restrictions expected, with work zones limited to a half-mile in length.
“At least two lanes will remain open in each direction during construction, except during the overnight hours of 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., when the work zone will be squeezed down to one lane in each direction,” Illia said.