Businesses need not fret over Boulder City bypass

The Coffee Cup restaurant in Boulder City is world famous.

Years ago owners Al and Carri Stevens often called the diner "world famous," even though it really wasn't. But in 2007 it was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" program, hosted by chef Guy Fiere, and it really did become world famous. To this day, the recipe for the Coffee Cup's pork chili verde is posted on the Food Network website.

As a result, the Coffee Cup's clientele is a diverse mix of locals and tourists. "About 50 percent are from out of town," says Terry Stevens, the owners' son who manages the restaurant. "We have people from all over the world come in here." But not all of those visitors are using a GPS or referring to a Google Maps printout showing how to get to the Coffee Cup. "Some of them just take a wrong turn," he says.

Stevens is among a few locals concerned about what might happen to Boulder City businesses if, and most likely when, the state builds a highway bypass around the community. When he thinks about what might happen, he can't help but have visions of the forgotten towns along Route 66 in Arizona, all but abandoned when Interstate 40 came through.

"I want to run this business for the rest of my life and pass it on to my kids," he says. "There's got to be another option."

Stevens suggests widening and improving the existing highway rather than swinging thousands of vehicles around the city. But his view represents a distinct minority on the issue. An advisory question on the Boulder City ballot in 1999 showed 61 percent support for building a bypass south of town.

Despite concerns about the fate of some local businesses, it appears the Boulder City bypass is all but a done deal. While the project has been bubbling on the back burner for more than a decade, interest in accelerating its construction started last fall when the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge opened. The bridge relieved the traffic jam crossing Hoover Dam, but it has attracted tourists of its own and caused severe traffic tie-ups through Boulder City. The congestion has resulted in an uptick in accidents.

As a result, Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler is championing the bypass project, as is Clark County Regional Transportation Commission General Manager Jacob Snow. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is actively pursuing federal funding.

Scott Rawlins, deputy director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, says if $400 million were available for the bypass today, it probably could be completed in three years. But a more realistic timetable puts completion of the bypass five to six years in the future.

In the meantime, the bypass continues to be a prime topic of discussion in Boulder City. Although Rawlins says testimony during public meetings a few years ago indicated overwhelming support for routing traffic south of the city, some residents still worry about the economic impact on their community. Besides the Coffee Cup, there's the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, plus gift shops, motels and other restaurants that rely to a fair extent on motorists rolling through town. Rawlins confirms that plans do not call for any interchanges along the bypass route if a motorist wants to exit into Boulder City.

The harsh reality for Boulder City is that Las Vegas is all about volume. Las Vegas needs lots and lots of visitors, and it wants to make it as easy as possible for them to get here. Boulder City represents an impediment for visitors from Arizona, so Las Vegas needs a way for them to get around it. The RTC's Snow told a state legislative committee this week an estimated 10 percent of Las Vegas visitors come from Arizona, and about 90 percent of them come by car. And if Arizonans spend basically what other tourists spend in Las Vegas, they represent about $2 billion per year to the Southern Nevada economy.

From a regional perspective, Boulder City's situation is of even smaller consequence. Planners envision U.S. 93 someday being designated as Interstate 11, a major transportation corridor stretching from Mexico to Canada. If that happens, even the most obstinate Boulder City residents won't want to endure the massive volume of truck traffic rumbling through their community.

On a more positive note, while I sympathize with Terry Stevens concerning the long-term future of small businesses in Boulder City, I don't think they will be hurt by the bypass as much as he fears. Boulder City is a special place, and people drawn to its small-town charms will figure out how to get there.

Geoff Schumacher (gschumacher@reviewjournal.com) is the Review-Journal's director of community publications. His column appears Thursday.