Nevada Department of Transportation
Home MenuFuture I-11 Alternatives Analysis - Las Vegas Valley to I-80
I-11: Then and Now
The Canamex Corridor, as defined by U.S. Congress in the 1995 National Highway Systems Designation Act, was a joint effort involving Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Utah and Montana. It prompted the development of a continuous four-lane highway from Mexico through the U.S. into Canada to facilitate trade among the three countries and minimize traffic and congestion. Next, the U.S. Congress, with its passage of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) in 2012, designated the planned freeway between Las Vegas and Phoenix as the Future I-11.
Currently the construction of the 12.5 miles of I-11, a four-lane access-controlled freeway around the southern and eastern perimeter of Boulder City from I-515 to US-93 is underway, and it is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2018.
Moving north, I-11 will generally follow U.S. 95 between northwestern Las Vegas and I-80 in western Nevada. The current Northern Nevada Alternatives Analysis study will identify and screen corridor alternatives within the broad study area, recommending the most feasible alternative(s) to advance into future NEPA studies. See the process being used in the Methodology memo. Future NEPA efforts will develop and evaluate specific alignments within the proposed alternative(s).
Construction of the roughly 450-mile long future I-11 could be phased over future decades as environmental impact reviews are completed and funding is prioritized. I-11 is currently being analyzed as a limited access four-lane divided highway designed to accommodate future traffic projections.
The future I-11 is envisioned as a continuous high-capacity transportation corridor that has the potential to enhance movement of people and freight, and to facilitate regional connectivity, trade, communications, and technology.
Northern Nevada Alternatives Analysis Background
A joint study by NDOT and the Arizona Department of Transportation, the I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study (IWCS) was completed in 2014. In Northern Nevada, a high level of analysis was completed to recommend that I-11 make a connection from Las Vegas to points north along the western side of the state.
The purpose of this Alternatives Analysis study is to build on the recommendations of the I-11 and IWCS by developing and evaluating specific corridor alternatives linking Las Vegas with I-80, and documenting issues, constraints, and opportunities in a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) document, with the goal of identifying recommended corridor(s) to advance into future National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) studies.
Corridor alternatives were developed based on input from prior studies, prior stakeholder coordination, and technical analysis conducted to date. Additional information on the background and purpose of the study is also available on the NDOT website.
Public Input
The Nevada Department of Transportation hosted a round of public information meetings from March 20 through 29 to gather feedback on the future Interstate 11 corridor connecting Las Vegas and northwestern Nevada.
If you were unable to attend the first round of public information meetings, you may submit questions about the study by contacting NDOT Project Manager Kevin Verre at 775-888-7712 or KVerre@dot.nv.gov.