Over the hump: Perilous stretch of road to Pahrump widened

By Mick Akers

Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Widening a dangerous stretch of road linking Las Vegas and Pahrump was completed by the Nevada Department of Transportation on Tuesday night.

The $16.5 million road project widened a 5-mile portion of State Route 160, or Blue Diamond Road, from two travel lanes to four.

The work, which began in February 2016, occurred between Red Rock Canyon Road (State Route 159) and Mile Marker 17, or just before entering Mountain Springs.

“State Route 160 is vital for the southwest valley acting as a crucial link between Las Vegas and Pahrump,” NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said. “Increased travel and rapid development along the highway has facilitated the need for greater capacity as well as safety enhancements for improved mobility and reliability.”

A five-year crash study found that the stretch of SR-160 between Mile Marker 11 and Mile Marker 22 had an average crash rate almost double the rate of the average NDOT-maintained rural principal highway, Illia said.

In that study, 280 crashes occurred on the section of SR-160. Of those, 195 were non-collision (ran off the road) incidents.

Those included 109 injury crashes (resulting in 148 injuries) and 10 fatal crashes (with 12 fatalities). Seven of the fatalities came from non-collision crashes.

“This project creates a partially divided asphalt highway with a passing lane, significantly enhancing safety and mobility,” Illia said. “It now allows passing around slower-moving vehicles, including trucks and recreational vehicles. That was the previous cause for many crashes along State Route 160: impatient drivers swinging into oncoming traffic in order to pass.”

In addition to the dangers of the stretch, travel time was often affected up to several hours with road closures accompanying major crashes.

Aggregate Industries SWR Inc., general contractor on the project, also flattened side slope shoulders for safer vehicle turnouts and installed new drainage pipe and tortoise fencing. New barriers and guardrails were installed, and hydroseeding of 38 acres was completed as well.

Construction involved moving enough dirt to fill 1,800 average-size swimming pools and enough asphalt to pave 8,000 driveways.

Safety improvements will continue on SR-160. NDOT is planning to widen another 6-mile stretch from Mile Marker 16.3 to Mile Marker 22 from two to four lanes in early 2018.

Plans include a raised median barrier, bicycle lanes and flattened side slopes as well as new signage and improved intersection lighting.

Other proposed enhancements include frontage roads for the Mountain Springs community, an emergency signal at the Volunteer Fire Station and a wildlife undercrossing near Mile Marker 18.