LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – One of Las Vegas’ busiest highways is preparing to be dug up and reconstructed, costing the city millions of dollars more than expected in an area encompassing several low-income communities.
The Stewart Avenue Complete Street project was first announced in 2022 and focused on four and a half miles between 6th Street and Nellis Boulevard. 28% of the region’s population lives below the poverty line, according to Nicole Melton.
She is the project’s engineering manager, who told 8 News Now the poor condition of the road and adjacent sidewalks has been on the city’s “radar” for years.
“We need to provide options for them to have transportation, and right now, if you’re out there, the sidewalks are clogged,” Melton said at City Hall Wednesday, acknowledging much dependence on walking and nearby public transport. residents.
“The goal of the Stewart Avenue project is to provide more safety, more equity and make options more accessible,” she added.
On the drawing board for the project is a long list of improvements and additions, some of which are stipulated as part of the federal funding received for this project. They understand:
Widened sidewalks
Streets redone
Protected cycle paths
Street lights replaced
Pedestrian crossings and mid-block signals
Extensive landscaping and installation of shade trees
Bus stop improvements
Technological improvements to traffic signals and pedestrian crossings
Renderings of the completed project show portions of the road closer to downtown Las Vegas with one-lane traffic in both directions, parking spaces protecting bike lanes from the main road and a turn lane in the middle. Other renderings show a return to two lanes in both directions east of east, closer to residential neighborhoods.
As recently as last January, the director of the city’s public works department projected a cost “in excess of $50 million.” Of that amount, $23.9 million comes from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, which aims to help urban and rural communities upgrade roads and create safer transportation options.
Melton added that the city is required to match funding, which will pay for specific improvements to the road. The Regional Flood Control District is also improving its storm drainage facilities along Stewart from Eastern Avenue to the Las Vegas Wash.
“This is a separate funding source and it will be between $40 million and $50 million,” Melton said, acknowledging that the total cost of the project will likely exceed $100 million. “At this point, we are very early in the design process. These costs could change.
If the city maintains its goal of completion by 2029, the project will have taken 7 years. Melton expects formal creation of the design and completion of necessary environmental studies through the end of 2026 after starting last March.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, about two years later than the previously announced 2022 schedule.
“As engineers, we have to consider public safety first and foremost, which is why sometimes projects like this take so long,” Melton said. “There are stipulations as part of the (federal) grant, so that’s the timeline that we’re on, and we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that happens.”
For context, Melton cites the Las Vegas Boulevard construction project, which she says took three years of construction and about a decade of pre-design.
People living along the street, like Crystal Verdejo, said they rely on public transit to get to work and school. Walking to these bus stops isn’t always safe, she added.
“There is no cycle path. The sidewalks aren’t huge, so we were all able to share,” Verdejo said, standing on his lawn that borders the road Wednesday morning. “I’ve seen people jump the curb…(Drivers) just don’t want to wait for cars to pass. They try to get out and they almost get into a car accident. I’ve seen it here several times and I’ve seen it here several times and I’ve only lived here since November.
Business owners along Stewart Avenue, like Craig Duerson of Assurance Behavioral Health, expect more customers and less traffic buildup. His business is located next to a short window for getting on and off the highway, which he calls a collision hotspot.
“I actually stay late so I can go out and miss the traffic,” Duerson said outside his business Wednesday morning. “(The project) would definitely bring a different type of foot traffic here.” »
The city is hosting a town hall-style community meeting Wednesday evening inside the East Las Vegas Community Center at 5:30 p.m. Melton said this will be the first of several meetings, although future ones likely won’t be scheduled until early 2025.
Additional information specific to the project can be found on its website.
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