City Council backs proposal to keep D Street open
The Las Vegas City Council voted Wednesday to redesign plans that would close off D Street, near downtown, as part of the Interstate 15 north widening project.
The council unanimously passed Councilman Ricki Barlow's $507,000 proposal to keep north and south travel on D Street, from Bonanza Road to West Las Vegas, open.
The project had called for a D Street and F Street connector, via Wilson Avenue. The plans called for a cul-de-sac on D Street where the connector curves from D Street to Wilson.
Using the connector, West Las Vegas traffic on D Street would move south under Interstate 15, hook west onto Wilson and pour out onto F Street at the intersection with Bonanza Road. The redesign eliminates the cul-de-sac but still allows the D to F Street connector via Wilson. Vehicles on D Street will be able to continue south or north without using the D and F Street connector.
About 50 people showed up for the debate, which lasted nearly two hours.
Many opponents of Barlow's plan were West Las Vegas residents, already angry over the closure of F Street as part of the $240 million interstate project. Some think that the city is trying to segregate historically black West Las Vegas from the downtown area and that the plan is a way of placating foes of the F Street closure.
