New look for Boulder City's Old Town comes in at $600,000

Boulder City's two-block Old Town district could be considered New Town with the completion of a nearly $600,000 facelift.

The official reopening of the downtown area following the Old Town Streetscape project will start at 8 a.m. Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Nevada Highway and Arizona Street.

Mayor Bob Ferraro said city officials and merchants hope the downtown revitalization project will attract more visitors to Boulder City.

"It gives visitors the opportunity to get out and stroll about town and learn more about us," he said.

The finishing touches are currently being put on the pedestrian area that has been extended along Nevada Highway between Wyoming and Denver streets.

The need for revamping the downtown area included improving the traffic flow while increasing parking, city officials said.

Slower speeds on the Nevada Highway -- which turns into Nevada Way downtown -- are expected to transform it into more of a market street rather than a highway.

Diagonal parking, such as what is in front of Nevada Drug and the Boulder Theater, has been replaced with parallel parking on Nevada Way.

The project is an attempt to return the downtown area -- home to more than 20 businesses -- to the Boulder City of the late 1950s, and capitalize on the town's historical offerings.

The project was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.

When proposed, the construction costs were estimated at $525,000.

Scott Hansen, city engineer, said once the project began in February the city discovered a lot more concrete needed to be replaced, which increased the cost substantially.

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