Public invited to comment on Interstate 11 study

LAS VEGAS — The public can participate in a virtual meeting on the Interstate 11 project, reviewing the latest project information and providing feedback online through July 18. There is also a public hearing scheduled on improvements to Highway 160 from Red Rock Canyon to Mountain Springs.

This month-long virtual meeting on I-11 will be hosted on the project website, i11study.com. Different routes are proposed for the new interstate, including one that will run north on Highway 95.

Two years ago, the Nevada and Arizona departments of transportation launched a study to determine the feasibility of building a new multi-modal interstate corridor linking Las Vegas and Phoenix, while stretching south to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. That study is now nearing completion and will include one more opportunity for the public to get involved and provide comments.

Three public meetings and a month-long online virtual meeting are scheduled for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study to gather comments for the draft Corridor Concept Report, a document that will outline the vision for the corridor, reinforce the justification for building a new multi-use interstate corridor and define an implementation plan to move this project forward.

The Corridor Concept Report and the supporting technical reports and work products will determine whether sufficient justification exists for a new multi-modal transportation corridor. It will also establish potential alternatives for the new I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor. The report will outline four chapters: the need for a high-capacity, multi-modal corridor to link economies; corridor alignment recommendations that link metro areas and connect communities; the economic value of investment in the corridor; and a call to action, emphasizing the need for continued collaboration to move the I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor forward. Below is information on the Las Vegas area public meeting and the virtual public meeting:

NDOT and ADOT have been working together since the summer of 2012 on the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study, which includes detailed corridor planning of an interstate link connecting the Las Vegas and Phoenix metropolitan areas, while extending the corridor through southern Arizona to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. In 2012, Congress designated the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas as part of the current surface transportation bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).

The Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study is a two-year, multiphase, high-level study examining the feasibility, benefits, opportunities and constraints of a proposed new interstate highway corridor. The study is expected to be completed this summer. Funding to construct this new corridor has not been identified. In addition to the Nevada and Arizona departments of transportation, other study partners are the Maricopa Association of Governments, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Railroad Administration.

For information about the I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study and to sign up for updates, visit i11study.com.

On the other project, NDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service, will take comments on the environmental assessment for the improvements to Highway 160 from the Red Rock Canyon turnoff to Mountain Springs. The project will improve 11 miles. Proposed improvements will widen the roadway from two lanes to four lanes, adding a 14-foot-wide median and an eight-foot wide shoulder and bike lane on both sides.

The EA can be viewed at the Pahrump Community Library, 701 East Street or online at the NDOT website www.nevadadot.com/Meetings. Comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. July 25. Anyone who wants to comment may submit them to Steve M. Cooke, P.E. Chief Environmental Services Division, Nevada Department of Transportation, 1263 S. Stewart St., Carson City, NV 89712. Comments may be sent by e-mail to info@dot.state.nv.us

More information may be obtained from Lynnette Russell, NDOT project manager, at 702-761-6601, by e-mail, to lrussell@dot.state.nv.us or by mail to Lynnette Russell, project manager, Nevada Department of Transportation, 123 E. Washington St., Las Vegas, NV 89101.

A presentation on the project is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., July 8 at Frias Elementary School, 5800 Broken Top Avenue, Las Vegas.