The Airport Connector Tunnel is finally set to be repaved after falling into disrepair over the past few years.
Both directions of the tunnel’s roadway have been eroding from mineral deposits from hard water leaking down from a section of Harry Reid International Airport above.
The problem has grown worse each year, and the Clark County Department of Aviation recently awarded a repaving contract to Las Vegas Paving for no more than $2.4 million, according to airport spokeswoman Monika Bertaki.
The project is scheduled to begin in late August, but Bertaki did not have further infomation, including how long the work would take and what sort of traffic impacts are expected.
215 Beltway-Airport Connector interchange project
The tunnel repave will happen as the already-under-construction $49.5 million, 215 Beltway-Airport Connector interchange project moves along.
That project includes widening the northbound Airport Connector from three lanes to four between the 215 and Sunset Road by adding a new lane dedicated to exiting the connector at Sunset, just before the tunnel.
The westbound 215 to Airport Connector northbound ramp is also being realigned to allow for the new ramp to Sunset to be built.
The current setup features a one-lane exit to Sunset from the northbound connector. Traffic entering the connector from the 215 can lead to significant traffic backups, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
“They’re widening the airport connector right now where the new ramp is going to take off to go over the new bridge,” said Jed Wheeler, the contracted project manager on the project. He said paving on that part of the project should start within the next few months.
Crews altered the on-ramp from westbound 215 to the Airport Connector, which can be a surprise for drivers who haven’t traveled the stretch since the project began. Despite the change, the same number of lanes were kept open to minimize traffic issues.
The current configuration should be in place for another year, and there will be coordination once the tunnel repave begins, since Las Vegas Paving is the contractor on both projects, according to Robert Krause, construction project manager.
“It’s going to be in place for, I’d say, another year,” Krause said. “We are going to work closely with LVP as they start that new tunnel project. So, we’re going to try our best to avoid any conflicts of traffic control right there.”
The Department of Aviation and the Nevada Department of Transportation are included during project update meetings to ensure all parties are aware of what’s to come and that there are no conflicts with other road projects, Krause said.
Bridge structure
The additional lane is being added as a new ramp from George Crockett Road to the connector serving drivers who plan to exit at Sunset. The new ramp will allow motorists to avoid weaving from the existing ramp that carries traffic from both George Crockett and the 215 westbound to the connector.
Work has already begun on the bridge that will provide the extra dedicated lane for Sunset. The work to build the bridge and widen Sunset will last well into the project.
“This is a two-year project, it goes till November 2027,” Wheeler said. “I’d say the bridge structure would probably be pretty close to spring of next year to being substantially complete.”
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