>>> Clark County Public Works has submitted a grant application requesting $132 Million for the I-215 /Airport Connector Interchange to the United States Department of Transportation's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant Program "**UPDATE: This project was not selected for funding.
This project consists of the Southern I-215 Bruce Woodbury Beltway and the Interstate-215 / Airport Connector Interchange, both are located in the unincorporated area of southern Nevada’s Las Vegas valley. The Las Vegas valley is considered the economic engine that drives the state’s economy. On average, 37 million people visit Las Vegas each year. While gaming is the largest attraction, other recreational opportunities, including Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Hoover Dam, and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, to name a few, make Las Vegas a popular tourist destination.
The Southern Bruce Woodbury Beltway (I-215) and the Airport Connector (State Route 171) are key southern Nevada transportation corridors. Local commuters and visitors heavily travel both to access McCarran International Airport and points north as well as the two major freeways consisting of Interstate 15 and Interstate 515.
While the Beltway functions as the major east west corridor in the southern Las Vegas valley, the Airport Connector provides a critical north south link between residential and employment centers. There are a limited number of north-south options for travel within this vicinity due to the location of McCarran International Airport, which precludes, by its nature, other arterial or collector roadways. Las Vegas Boulevard (the Las Vegas Strip) and Interstate 15 (I-15) are located approximately 1.25 miles and 1.7 miles, respectively, west of the Airport Connector and Eastern Avenue is located approximately 1.5 miles east. All of these alternative north-south routes are already heavily congested.
The Airport Connector provides a critical link in the operations of the Airport. The Airport Connector and the Beltway provide freeway direct access to and from the airport. Regional travelers, once on the interstate or beltway, can travel unimpeded directly to the terminal facilities without experiencing any delays from signalized intersections or local roadways. Additionally, the airport’s rental car facilities are located south of the beltway and west of the Airport Connector. Almost all of the people flying in and out of McCarran International Airport will use the Airport Connector either in an airport shuttle to the rental car facility or in their personal vehicles. |