This rendering shows a proposed elevated expressway over the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Swenson Street that would alleviate traffic between McCarran International Airport and the Strip.
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Clark County leaders are continuing to look at options to alleviate traffic congestion near UNLV between McCarran International Airport and the Strip.
Clark County Public Works Director Denis Cederburg said if nothing is done to improve the crowded roads by Swenson Street and Paradise Road on Tropicana Avenue, that the average intersection delay times could more than double by 2040 with an estimated 55 million annual passengers by 2035.
“The conflict at the Thomas & Mack intersection is something we’ve put up with forever,” Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson said. “But something that would alleviate that problem in addition to the common everyday conflict that we have at Tropicana and Swenson … will be a significant improvement and maybe one of the most important things we've done in a long time.”
Cederburg said the county is still in the planning stages and looking at funding sources as well as a means to potentially reduce costs.
The original plan called for an elevated roadway over Tropicana that Cederburg said would be utilized by 93% of traffic bypassing the intersections to reduce delay times by 45%. With a cost estimate of about $78 million, it is also the cheapest of the three proposed options.
But the proposal last October received pushback from Nevada Board of Regents, who raised concerns over public safety and the flyover blocking views of the Thomas & Mack Center, Cox Pavilion and Mendenhall Center on the UNLV campus.
This forced the county to look at other alternatives, including building an underground roadway that would push traffic traveling westbound on Tropicana under Swenson and Paradise. The cost estimate is roughly $150 million and, most important for Nevada regents, it would not block the view of campus. Another alternative moves the project west to the avoid intersections entirely and would cost roughly $90 million.
“The underground option could be viable with additional work,” UNLV architect David Frommer said. “There’s lots of promise there.”
Commissioner Larry Brown said he was pleased to see Frommer at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting, expressing his disappointment in the past partnership between UNLV leadership and the county.
“What (the county) had to go through with dealing with UNLV and the regents was unfair,” he said.
He said he had hoped that when Public Works first proposed the project, UNLV officials would work with the county “face to face.”
“What happened is we got not one, not two, but three consulting reports basically criticizing the county,” he said. “That’s not the way to do business. There’s talented people at UNLV that need to come together … the partnership is there. But it has to be a partnership — it can’t be a one-way street.”
As the county continues to weigh its options, commission Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick requested regular updates to ensure open communication between UNLV and the county.
“This is three years we’ve kicked down the road,” she said.
