EDITORIAL: I-11 project vital to valley, region

The most obvious selling point of Interstate 11 is its faster, more direct connection from Las Vegas to Phoenix. They’re the largest adjacent metropolitan areas in the country without a direct freeway connection. And if the scope of the I-11 project were limited to that route, it would be well worth the billions of dollars required to speed commerce and travel between the cities.

But the proposed I-11 corridor stretches well beyond Las Vegas and Phoenix, from Mexico to Canada. It’s envisioned as a new artery for growing international trade and a needed jolt the economies of the Intermountain West. One day, it could even link Las Vegas and Reno.

It is beyond essential. It is vital to the valley’s future.

If you missed Sunday’s in-depth report by the Review-Journal’s Adam Kealoha Causey, read it online at www.reviewjournal.com/news/long-road-interstate-11. It includes a multimedia feature and maps that highlight potential routes through Las Vegas, Phoenix and the rest of the West.

Congestion on existing highways will be made worse by increasing commercial traffic from Mexico. California’s ports are operating at capacity, and its roads are crowded beyond capacity, sending more trade through Mexico and Arizona. I-11 wouldn’t merely speed that traffic through cities; it would create commerical opportunities for distribution, manufacturing and logistical hubs. For that reason, I-11 is the top economic development priority of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce.

The Review-Journal is dedicating its January Hashtags &Headlines policy luncheon to the topic of transportation, and the conversation will cover the I-11 project. Political columnist Steve Sebelius will moderate the discussion with Tina Quigley, general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and Tom Skancke, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. The luncheon will be held Monday at Texas Station from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased at www.reviewjournal.com/hashtagsandheadlines or by contacting Melissa McCabe at mmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0469.

It will be years before the first stretch of I-11 carries a sign and lands on maps. It will take decades to complete. It will require relentless support from the region’s industries and elected leaders to move I-11 forward and pay for it. Nevada and Arizona shouldn’t expect much help from Washington, the federal interstate designation notwithstanding. We’ll have to work together to make it happen.