The Closed Exit at Lake Mead Blvd.

Lake Mead Blvd.

I just got back from a trip where I took my mom to Utah for a few days. Salt Lake City to be exact. It is just as hot there as it is here I will tell you that. Of course they have a lot more green there than we do here, but that is another thought for another day.

I brought the 215 off of 1-15 around to Summerlin Parkway. I had not been on this part of the belt in awhile. I was so excited to see the new bridge almost done on Lake Mead Blvd. The exit’s still had closed signs but it looked like real progress was being made and it would not be long before the exit and entrance would be good to go.

Wow, was I ever wrong. It seems the people of Sun City Summerlin (I live in there) who are at the top of Lake Mead have made a deal with the council. The access will not be able to be used until 2010. What? Are you kidding me?

This access would save the people who wish to go to Cheyenne copious amounts of time and gas. It would also give easier access to 215 Southbound as soon as the underpasses at Summerlin Parkway and Far Hills are finished.

I wonder if other people living in Sun City Summerlin know of this. Or are a handful of people living at the top of Lake Mead stopping the rest of the residents from having easier access to the 215 both north and south bound?

If you know anyone living in Sun City Summerlin let them know what is going on. Ask them to call their council members and raise some objections. This could also be considered a safety issue, that exit would make it easier for the paramedics from Summerlin Hospital to get into Sun City.

Let me know what you think on this issue.

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This entry was written by Chris Shouse and posted on July 25, 2008 at 8:50 am and filed under Summerlin News. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment(Latest is displayed first) or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

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The county issued this news release on Friday:

Commissioners Call for Opening

Lake Mead/215 Interchange

The two county commissioners who represent the west end of the Las Vegas Valley will ask their fellow board members Aug. 19 to approve the opening of the interchange at Lake Mead Boulevard and I-215.

Commissioners Chip Maxfield and Susan Brager are asking that the $12.4 million interchange be opened to the public as soon as possible. Construction is complete except for extending electricity to the site and the possible need for screening to shield some adjacent residents’ backyards.

“It’s clear from the calls, letters and emails that I have received that the public thinks we need to open this interchange as soon as possible,” said Maxfield, who represents the area where the interchange is located. “I wasn’t convinced that was the case two years ago when we held public hearings. The feedback at that time was mixed. Today, from a public policy perspective, I think it’s the right decision. To allow a taxpayer-funded asset like that to go unused really isn’t the best use of our resources. The sooner we open this interchange, the better off the traveling public will be.”

Brager agreed, adding: “We need to do all we can to keep traffic moving and opening this interchange will do that. That’s a benefit not only for our citizens, but for our police and fire departments, who count on uncongested roads to improve their response times.”

Brager and Maxfield said the interchange should open as soon as possible. Officials said electricity to operate traffic signals must be extended to the site and limited screening may need to be erected to shield the views of some residents’ back yards from interchange traffic.

The opening of the interchange would come two years earlier than now planned. The outcome of previous public meetings was that the interchange should remain closed until there could be a simultaneous opening of the 215 interchange at Summerlin Parkway in 2010. Some Sun City residents feared that opening the Lake Mead interchange first could divert traffic away from construction at the Summerlin interchange onto Lake Mead Boulevard.

The board will meet at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19 in the Commission Chambers at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway in downtown Las Vegas. All meetings of the board are cablecast live and replayed on Clark County Television (CCTV) cable Channel 4 and over the Internet at http://www.accessclarkcounty.com.

###

Erik Pappa
Public Communications Director
Clark County

1. Erik Pappa on August 12th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Bummer! It’s annoying at best to have to go further to get to the same place.

2. Jim Lee on July 26th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Yes I do, it is a handful of home owners at the top of Lake Mead that have not had people coming up the road. It has been blocked off for years by the same things that divide the freeway. What they fail to take in to consideration is the easy way for them to get on the 215. Unless they are going to use it as their own private entrance and exit for two years.

3. Chris Shouse on July 26th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Wow Chris, that’s horrible. A two year wait - what’s the sense in that? Do you know what’s driving the decision?

4. Irina Netchaev on July 26th, 2008 at 7:59 am