Northbound traffic makes it’s way through construction cones northbound on Las Vegas Boulevard in downtown Las Vegas Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Las Vegas Boulevard construction planning started 12 years ago and broke ground in late April. The project is expected to be complete by May of 2023.
Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The ongoing $125 million construction project to improve a 2.5-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in downtown is doing more than repaving the roads and sidewalks.
The project is also replacing curbs, gutters, traffic signals, water and sewer pipes, and storm drains. It’s much needed, considering some of the infrastructure was initially installed in the 1940s, officials said.
“Las Vegas Boulevard was definitely in need of a complete makeover. The infrastructure along (Las Vegas Boulevard) is some of the oldest in the city,” Natasha Shahani, a spokeswoman for the city of Las Vegas, wrote in an email.
The three-year project, the largest public works project in city history, is expected to be completed in spring of 2023 and is the product of more than 10 years of planning, officials said.
The project will widen Las Vegas Boulevard north of Sahara Avenue, bringing better lighting and installing safety bollards. About 200 trees will be planted in the project, creating a tree-lined look on the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard leading to the heart of downtown.
“All of the aspects of this project make for an extensive design. It’s essentially multiple projects in one, which, overall, it took a lot of coordination and hard work to get the project to construction,” Shahani said.
Most work is on Las Vegas Boulevard from Stewart to Sahara avenues, but also comprises Bridger Avenue from 13th Street to Las Vegas Boulevard, and Third Street from Utah to Colorado avenues. The project, which started in the spring, has brought delays for motorists as traffic each way on Las Vegas Boulevard is one lane in each direction — depending on the stage of the project.
Officials say north- and south-bound drivers can avoid Las Vegas Boulevard construction by taking Maryland and Grand Central parkways or Fourth and Sixth streets.
The work is funded by the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission’s Fuel Revenue Indexing tax, the city, the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial and the Las Vegas Valley Water District.
The city sends weekly email updates on the project. Join the list at [email protected].
