A years-long examination of possible routes for I-11 through Las Vegas has come to the anti-climactic conclusion that the central route – following I-515 through the downtown ‘Spaghetti Bowl’ and onto US 95 – is the best option.

The Nevada Department of Transportation has launched a virtual public meeting seeking comment on the draft Planning and Environmental Linkages report released June 22. The public may express its views through 5 p.m. Friday, July 22, by going to i11nv.com 

There also will be a telephone town hall on Thursday, July 7, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The project team will be on the line to answer questions and receive comments. The phone numbers  are (833) 589-2166 for English and (833) 589-2167 for Spanish.

The agency and federal Highway Administration officials will review the comments before releasing the final PEL report sometime this fall.

Three potential routes were explored to meet the congressional mandate to connect Las Vegas with Phoenix as part of a north-south trade route from the Mexican border to the Canadian border.

The Eastern Option, which called for constructing a new road north from the I-11 Henderson interchange, was the first to be rejected. The route was opposed by officials at Nellis Air Force Base and the construction costs were found to be prohibitive.

The central route – north from Henderson along I-515 – and the western route – west from the Henderson interchange along County Route 215 – were then compared and reviewed in a series of public hearings.

While the central route was found to be $86 million more expensive, it was also 14 minutes quicker. And, NDOT officials acknowledged, truckers would likely take the quicker central route no matter where the I-11 signs were hung.

The June 22 release of the draft report comes about three months after the original scheduled release.