Nevada officials ask for input to make Boulder Highway safer

Local transportation officials are soliciting input on how to improve safety, travel options and economic development along a 14-mile segment of Boulder Highway, a high-speed corridor in the east valley that state officials designated as Southern Nevada’s deadliest stretch of road.

The “Reimagine Boulder Highway” online survey asks participants whether they agree or disagree with several statements regarding the highway’s lighting, bus frequency, bicycle safety, traffic signal timing and accessibility to transit stops, sidewalks and crosswalks.

The Nevada Department of Transportation and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada are overseeing the $600,000 review, funded by roadway planning money equally split between both agencies, RTC spokeswoman Sue Christiansen said.

“We are hopeful the study will gauge stakeholder needs while developing a long-term template for traffic and pedestrian safety solutions that benefit the residents, visitors and businesses along the Boulder corridor for a revitalized, more mobile future,” NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.

Survey participants also will be asked to select their top three choices from a list of six proposed solutions for Boulder Highway:

■ Provide safe bicycling and walking options.

■ Improve vehicle safety through reduced speed limits and improved intersections.

■ Support transit culture through frequent bus service, better transfers and light rail.

■ Support economic redevelopment for better access to homes and businesses.

■ Improve access to different types of transportation modes.

■ Adjust the travel lanes by either reducing their width or the overall number of lanes.

Officials have set a goal of encouraging at least 1,000 people to complete the survey by the end of February, Christiansen said. A second survey this spring will ask for feedback on several proposed improvements for a bulk of Boulder Highway running between Charleston Boulevard and Wagon Wheel Drive.

A final study is expected to be released this summer, outlining several short-term and long-term improvements along Boulder Highway. The heavily used road was built during the 1930s, allowing drivers to quickly zip between Henderson and downtown Las Vegas.

The region’s gradual growth changed Boulder Highway’s landscape with businesses and homes, making it more of a high-speed arterial street.

Clark County saw a record high of 78 pedestrians who were fatally struck on public roads in 2017 — nine of whom were killed while walking along Boulder Highway.

As an immediate remedy to improve pedestrian safety, NDOT officials plan to start work in March on a $2 million project that calls for installing flashing beacons, wider medians and crosswalks at eight intersections and midblock segments of Boulder Highway.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.