Big changes coming to Boulder Highway as safety project breaks ground
Work on the first portion of the Reimagine Boulder Highway project is scheduled to kick off later this month.
On Monday morning, area dignitaries celebrated the planned start of the $172 million project occurring on a 7.5-mile stretch of the road through Henderson, with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Work will begin on Aug. 19 and take about three years to complete, as crews look to increase safety and efficiency of all road users on Boulder Highway.
Making a better Boulder Highway
“It was used as a highway for a very long time before our interchanges were here and it has been very unsafe for our residents,” Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero said. “Twenty-five percent of all (traffic) fatalities in Henderson happen on Boulder Highway in this section and we need to change that.”
Between 2018 and 2022, 23 fatalities occurred on Henderson roads, with six of those on Boulder Highway, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation’s crash database.
Boulder Highway also boasts Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s third busiest bus route, so adding the center-run, dedicated transit lanes will increase the efficiency of the transportation service, while also removing potential conflicts with vehicles and buses from traditional bus stops.
The project will see portions of Boulder Highway that are now three lanes in each direction condensed to two lanes in each direction; bus service will be moved to the road’s center; dedicated bike lanes will be added along the side of the road; sidewalks will be widened and signalized mid-block crossings will be added. Plans also call for adding more turn lanes, to remove exiting traffic from mainline traffic.
Despite the loss of the one general purpose lane in each direction included in the project, Romero said traffic flow shouldn’t be affected, as traffic signal timing will be altered to maximize movement.
The Boulder Highway portion included in the initial project in Henderson is located between Wagon Wheel Drive and Tulip Falls Drive, near Gibson Road in Henderson.
As work occurs on the project during the day, portions of Boulder Highway that feature three lanes in each direction will be reduced to two lanes. Then overnight, generally between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., the three lane stretches will be reduced to one lane. The highway portion that is two lanes in each direction in Henderson will be reduced to one lane as work occurs.
Officials hope the transportation improvements not only improve safety but also spur redevelopment.
“Henderson has done a good job of that — just look at Water Street,” Rep. Dina Titus said after the groundbreaking event Monday. “A lot of these businesses are tourist oriented or service oriented, people going out to the lake for example. I think we’ll see more development along here as well as access to medical facilities and housing.”
Future Boulder Highway work
The other half of Boulder Highway travels through the city of Las Vegas’ and Clark County’s jurisdiction. The RTC, with support of the Nevada Department of Transportation, recently received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that would go toward a study and initial planning for upgrading the remaining road segment, according to RTC CEO MJ Maynard.
An agreement is being finalized between the RTC and NDOT for the RTC to lead the preliminary work. The procurement process to hire a consultant to carry out an environmental study and preliminary engineering work is expected to take place over the next six months.
After that, the preliminary work is expected to be complete in two years, meaning the remaining Boulder Highway stretch will be a shovel-ready project, with environmental clearance and the ability to pursue grants to fund construction in about 2.5 years.