/ News / Phase 2 of I-11 Boulder City Bypass Expansion Project Opens August 2018

Phase 2 of I-11 Boulder City Bypass Expansion Project Opens August 2018

Parul Dubey on August 2, 2018 - in News, Projects

Boulder City, NV: Phase II of the Boulder City Bypass, a major 12.5-mile roadway project in the Mojave Desert southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada is set to open on August 9, 2018. It is the second segment of Interstate 11 (I-11) from US-95 to US-93 near the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. This two-phase project is part of a comprehensive interstate vision for I-11 to provide a major trade commerce route between Mexico and Canada going through Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only two cities in the nation with populations of more than 1 million that are not currently linked by an interstate. When complete, I-11 will bypass Boulder City, Nevada, and provide drivers with an expressway connecting Las Vegas and Phoenix, relieving congestion, improving safety, and enhancing commerce, while creating an estimated 4,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs in the region.

 

The Boulder City Bypass project is being financed and managed by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) in cooperation with Nevada Department of Transportation, who will maintain it. Stantec, a global engineering, consulting, architecture, and construction firm, provided landscape architecture and aesthetics design to all major roadway features along the 12.5-mile stretch of roadway.

 

With traffic counts estimated at 34,000 vehicles daily traveling through Boulder City, the new freeway is estimated to save travelers 30 minutes from the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge to Henderson due to higher speeds and the absence of traffic backups at signal lights. On busy weekends, the travel time savings is likely greater.

 

Major project elements of the second phase of construction include excavating over 8 million cubic yards through the Eldorado Mountains, which is aesthetically textured to look more like natural formations; nine bridges; Nevada’s largest bighorn sheep wildlife crossing bridge; several wildlife under crossings; a freestanding sculpture at the new I-11 and US-95 Interchange that celebrates the workers who built Hoover Dam; a scenic view parking area with Art Deco-themed architecture and interpretive signage overlooking Lake Mead; drainage culverts; and significant environmental mitigation.

 

The design theme integrates Art Deco architectural enhancements to project structures and focuses on significant cultural contributions associated with the history of the construction of the Hoover Dam that opened in 1935. Just as important is the environmental context, which includes part of the project built within the Lake Mead National Recreation area. It includes thoughtful selection of colors, materials and textures, which were introduced to blend or enhance the area’s unique desert and ground plane treatments. Landscape work entailed replanting salvaged native plants, slope restoration, reuse of topsoil, hydroseeding, water-harvesting features to enhance revegetation success and the placement of rock and boulders salvaged from the excavation work.

 

“We are excited for this milestone in the I-11 construction project,” said Cary Baird, Stantec Principal based in Las Vegas. “Our team studied the Hoover Dam project’s history to gain an understanding of its significance. From this research, we identified what we call the four ‘P’s to build our visual story. They are the ‘People’ and sacrifices they made to work on the project, the chosen ‘Place’ for this civil wonder, the ‘Process’ equipment and transportation methods used to build it, and the ‘Products’ we benefit from. These are stitched together to tell the story of the construction of one of the most impressive architectural/engineering feats in America’s history.”

 

The latest project components supplement the completion of the first phase of I-11 project. Led by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and completed in 2018, the first phase consisted of a continuous four-lane, controlled-access, divided freeway and highway passing south of the developed area of Boulder City. The alignment begins at the Foothills Drive and crosses under the existing railroad, continuing just south to Silverline Road. Phase I project length is about 2.5 miles.

 

About Stantec

Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That’s why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.

We care about the communities we serve—because they’re our communities too. We’re designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe. Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN. Visit us at stantec.com or find us on social media.

 

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