Idea of airport south of Vegas takes off again

Clark County is reviving plans to open an airport in the Ivanpah Valley.

County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to prepare to conduct an environmental impact study for building the airport on

6,000 acres of undeveloped federal land along Interstate 15 between Jean and Primm, about 32 miles south of Las Vegas. The proposal had been put on hold after the recession caused a drop in tourism.

County Aviation Director Rosemary Vassiliadis told commissioners the airport would supplement Mccarran International Airport as the county’s population grows, more resort hotels open and football fans come to the area to see Raiders games.

“This is a crucial part of our future in this valley,” Vassiliadis said.

Commissioner Jim Gibson said the plans could be a great boon to the growing county.

With a record 48.5 million passengers using Mccarran International Airport, Nevada’s busiest, last year, Vassiliadis said the county must prepare now for the growth that is to come.

Building an airport so far south of the Las Vegas Valley is necessary because of airspace restrictions north of Charleston Boulevard due to Nellis Air Force Base, Vassiliadis said.

The Bureau of Land Management and Federal Aviation Administration will oversee the environmental impact study process, Vassiliadis said.

The study will likely begin in the first quarter of 2019 and take close to two years to complete.

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.