LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Henderson city leaders planted their shovels in the ground Monday morning, officially kicking off the Reimagine Boulder Highway project.
Leaders say the main purpose of the project is safety.
“25% of all fatalities in Henderson have happened on this section of Boulder Highway,” Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero said after the groundbreaking. “That’s not acceptable to us.”
Romero was one of several elected officials to drive the first shovels into the ground for the project, which targets a 7.5-mile stretch from Charleston to Wagon Wheel. It adds a couple of dedicated bus and bike lanes, as well as more crosswalks, creating a modern look for a road that’s been around for quite a while.
“In a few years, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Boulder Highway,” Henderson City Councilman Jim Seebock told FOX5. “And it will be completely transformed from a dusty stretch of road that once carried Model T’s to a roadway for the 21st century.”
FOX5 asked Mayor Romero how the project, which removes lanes for cars, will affect traffic.
“With the shorter distance that pedestrians will need to travel to get on and off transit, it actually reduces the time that they will be crossing the street, it reduces the red light timing, and so traffic flow will have very little impact,” Romero said. “But even if it has a little bit of an impact, it’s worth saving a life.”
On top of safety, Romero and the other officials at the groundbreaking look forward to greater economic development along that stretch of road, driven by more foot traffic.
“It’s not just the jobs that are going to build this and construct it,” U.S. Representative Dina Titus said. “It’s the jobs from the services and the businesses along the way.”
“I believe that efforts that we will put into redeveloping and working with business owners along with the improvements will make a tremendous impact on this area,” Romero echoed.
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