Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce members and leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., this week, to push for speed on construction of Interstate 11 between Las Vegas and Phoenix. A group of more than 50 business people and officials visited with members of the Nevada congressional delegation and others about a range of issues, including getting I-11 built so it provides faster travel between Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Las Vegas and Phoenix are the only two large adjacent metropolitan areas not connected by an interstate. As a result, the cities miss out on economic development opportunities in areas involving warehousing, freight and logistics.
Right now, I-11 is a multijurisdictional effort that spans Arizona and Nevada. Officials envision the project stretching from the Mexico border to Canada, running through Arizona, Nevada north of Las Vegas and into Idaho.
Beyond Las Vegas, the interstate would connect to I-80, though the exact route through rural Nevada hasn’t been determined.
In Southern Nevada, work is underway on the Boulder City bypass, the first section of Interstate 11. The 15-mile bypass project includes one portion overseen by the Nevada Department of Transportation and a 12.5-mile stretch that the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is handling north and east from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Memorial Bridge over the Colorado River. The new highway will go through the Eldorado Mountains, then south of Boulder City, looping north over U.S. Highway 95 near the Railroad Pass Casino.
