Sunday, November 10, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

IVANPAH PROJECT: Work proceeding slowly on second major airport

Facility expected to be built on 6,600 acres about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas in Ivanpah Valley

While short- and long-term development plans at McCarran International Airport are firming up, the future of Clark County's proposed second major passenger airport in Ivanpah Valley is much less defined.

Before last year's terrorist attacks reduced air traffic worldwide, Clark County Director of Aviation Randy Walker had projected a 2011 opening for the Ivanpah airport, which is to be built on 6,600 acres about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

Walker said work is moving forward at the same pace as before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, although the airport now is unlikely to handle its first aircraft until at least 2015.

"It's a long-term project for us," Walker said. "That (2011) schedule was given assuming everything went perfectly, and that almost never happens."

Still, Walker said an airspace study is complete and is proceeding through channels at the Federal Aviation Administration. If approved by the FAA, the study will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of the Interior for further review.

"Once that's done, we can actually buy the land," Walker said. "The real study work can't happen until then."

Environmental evaluations can be a time-consuming task, though.

"Seattle has been working on the environmental studies for its new runway for 10 years and it's still not finished," Walker said.

While plans call for McCarran to remain Clark County's primary air hub, its capacity is limited to about 55 million passengers per year, and Walker said maintenance and other routine improvements further lowers McCarran's ideal operating capacity to about 52 million passengers per year.

The addition of a second airport would increase Southern Nevada's capacity by about 30 million travelers per year once Ivanpah is fully built, Walker said, while also improving access for planes carrying cargo.

Ivanpah's first phase, which would include one runway, a terminal and surface parking, is projected to cost about $500 million. It would be financed using a combination of bonds, airport revenues and federal grants, said Hilarie Grey, spokeswoman for the Clark County Aviation Department.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., a leading advocate in Washington, D.C., for the Ivanpah project, said the airport is critical to long-term growth in Las Vegas and the Western United States.

"In a few years, McCarran simply will not be able to handle all the growth," Reid said. "The more people who come here, the more we'll need to be able to service them, and we can't do that at (projected growth rates) unless we have a new airport."

As a member of the Senate subcommittee on transportation appropriations, Reid said he is confident the federal government will help fund the project.

He added that government and aviation industry officials will closely monitor developments at Ivanpah, which could be the first major passenger airport to open in the United States since Denver International Airport debuted in February 1995.

"All of the things other airports wish they could have will just go there matter-of-fact," Reid said. "It will meet the unique aviation infrastructure needs that no other airport in America will have."

In addition, Ivanpah should bring more international tourists to the Western region, Reid said.

"It will become a regional hub for the Southwest," Reid said. "We seek international visitors and ... it will help us to bring in more."

Bob Yatzeck, national planning manager for the FAA, said the Ivanpah airport will play a vital role for the future of aviation in Las Vegas, although he said it's too soon to speculate on the project's regional and international importance.

"(What airlines would use Ivanpah) is largely a decision that will be made by the airlines," Yatzeck said.

However, Reid said Ivanpah is just one element in the overall transportation needs facing the Las Vegas Valley. Walker added that getting people to and from the airport and Las Vegas using a crowded Interstate 15 corridor will require additional infrastructure improvements.

The aviation department is studying the feasibility of a monorail or light-rail link between the two, as well as a dedicated roadway or freeway lanes reserved for airport traffic, Walker said.

"We've looked at lots of options and are keeping lots of options available," Walker said. "By the time Ivanpah gets to 30 million people per year, there will have to be an alternative to I-15."