Interstate 11
Encyclopedia
Interstate 11 is a possible designation for a locally-proposed Interstate Highway in the United States
to run from Tonopah, Arizona
, northwest to Las Vegas, Nevada
, by way of Kingman, Arizona
. The designation is a local proposal that has not been accepted by AASHTO or FHWA, the agencies normally charged with interstate highway planning. The highway would overlap or parallel existing U.S. Route 93
(US 93) north of Wickenburg, Arizona
; south of Wickenburg, it is likely to follow a new proposed freeway near the Hassayampa River
. It would be part of the CANAMEX Corridor
. A recent study by a Nevada State Legislature committee in June 2010 recently approved a resolution calling on the Federal Highway Administration
to designate a new I-11 corridor from the Mexican border to the Canadian border using the current US 93 and US 95 alignments. From Wickenburg south to the Mexican border it was not specified which route was endorsed by the committee, but the most likely alignment would follow the current route of State Route 85 to the border crossing at Lukeville, Arizona
.
. Both Interstate 17
and Interstate 19
, however, already exist in Arizona
.
from Las Vegas to Railroad Pass, between Henderson
and Boulder City
. The Federal Highway Administration
has approved the Nevada Department of Transportation
's environmental review of a bypass around Boulder City, which would connect the end of Interstate 515 to the recently-constructed Hoover Dam Bypass east of the town at Hoover Dam
. The first stage of the bypass, which would offer a new connection from Interstate 515 to US 95
, is expected to begin construction in 2012.
. US 93 passes the towns of White Hills, Dolan Springs
, Chloride
and Golden Valley
. As it enters Kingman, US 93 becomes Beale Street, but Arizona is studying a direct freeway connection for US 93 and Interstate 40
.
. This also passes the hamlet of Nothing
and crosses the Big Sandy
and Santa Maria
rivers, as well as Burro Creek.
South of the Santa Maria River, Interstate 11 would mostly follow US 93's alignment, although the proposal for the Hassayampa Freeway by the Maricopa Association of Governments shows the likely I-11 corridor branching off from US 93 west of Wickenburg, bypassing the town.
in Tonopah, about 50 miles west of Phoenix. However, a more direct route would be preferred by using the existing US 60 from Wickenburg to Phoenix, but upgrading the Grand Avenue section of US 60 has been proven difficult. Grand Avenue had previously been designated for upgrade to full freeway status, but right-of-way issues and budget constraints caused the plans to be scaled back.
and Las Vegas, and was known for its dangerous curves and hills in the stretch between Wickenburg and Interstate 40
. In the late 1990s the Arizona Department of Transportation
(ADOT) began widening US 93 to four lanes, and in some areas building a completely new roadway. In other places along the route, ADOT simply repaved the old highway and built two new lanes parallel to it. ADOT also began studying the possibility of adding grade separations to US 93 near the Santa Maria River
to make the road a full freeway.
At the same time Arizona and Nevada began looking at US 93's crossing of Hoover Dam
, a major bottleneck for regional commerce, with hairpin turns, multiple crosswalks for pedestrians and steep grades. Plans for a bridge to bypass the dam
became even more urgent when the road was closed to trucks after September 11, 2001, forcing commercial traffic to detour through Bullhead City, Arizona
and Laughlin, Nevada
.
With the completion of the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in October 2010, the vast majority of the roadway is now a four-lane, divided highway. Still, with Phoenix and Las Vegas being the two largest neighboring cities in America not connected by interstate highway, leaders in both cities are lobbying to include Interstate 11 in the next Transportation Equity Act reauthorization.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to run from Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah, Arizona
Tonopah is a census-designated place in western Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, approximately 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix off Interstate 10...
, northwest to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, by way of Kingman, Arizona
Kingman, Arizona
Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...
. The designation is a local proposal that has not been accepted by AASHTO or FHWA, the agencies normally charged with interstate highway planning. The highway would overlap or parallel existing U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93 is a major north–south United States highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the Canadian border north of Eureka in Lincoln County, Montana, where the roadway continues into Roosville,...
(US 93) north of Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
; south of Wickenburg, it is likely to follow a new proposed freeway near the Hassayampa River
Hassayampa River
The Hassayampa River is a mostly underground river, the headwaters of which are just south of Prescott, Arizona, and flows mostly south towards Wickenburg entering the Gila River near Hassayampa, Arizona...
. It would be part of the CANAMEX Corridor
CANAMEX Corridor
The CANAMEX corridor is a corridor linking Canada to Mexico through the United States. The corridor was established under the North American Free Trade Agreement.Currently the corridor is defined by a series of highways...
. A recent study by a Nevada State Legislature committee in June 2010 recently approved a resolution calling on the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
to designate a new I-11 corridor from the Mexican border to the Canadian border using the current US 93 and US 95 alignments. From Wickenburg south to the Mexican border it was not specified which route was endorsed by the committee, but the most likely alignment would follow the current route of State Route 85 to the border crossing at Lukeville, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Route description
The proposed numbering of the highway does not fit within the existing Interstate Highway grid, as it would be completely east of Interstate 15Interstate 15
Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...
. Both Interstate 17
Interstate 17
Interstate 17 , also known as the Black Canyon Freeway, is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Arizona, United States. I-17's southern terminus lies within Phoenix, at Interstate 10, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Interstate 40...
and Interstate 19
Interstate 19
Interstate 19 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Arizona. I-19 runs from Nogales, roughly 1,500 feet from the Mexican border, to Tucson, at Interstate 10...
, however, already exist in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Las Vegas to Hoover Dam
Most of Interstate 11's proposed route in the Las Vegas valley already has been constructed as Interstate 515Interstate 515
Interstate 515 is a spur of Interstate 15 that runs from the junction of I-15, US 93 and US 95 near Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada approximately southeast to Railroad Pass near the borders of Henderson and Boulder City....
from Las Vegas to Railroad Pass, between Henderson
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...
and Boulder City
Boulder City, Nevada
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately from the City of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 census the population of Boulder City was 15,023.Boulder City is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibit gambling....
. The Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
has approved the Nevada Department of Transportation
Nevada Department of Transportation
The Nevada Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within the state's boundaries. The department is notable for its...
's environmental review of a bypass around Boulder City, which would connect the end of Interstate 515 to the recently-constructed Hoover Dam Bypass east of the town at Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
. The first stage of the bypass, which would offer a new connection from Interstate 515 to US 95
U.S. Route 95
U.S. Route 95 is a north–south U.S. highway in the western United States. Unlike many other US highways, it has not seen deletion or replacement on most of its length by an encroaching Interstate highway corridor, due to its mostly rural course...
, is expected to begin construction in 2012.
Hoover Dam to Kingman
For the 17 miles south of Hoover Dam, US 93 is now a four-lane route from the Hoover Dam Bypass to Kingman, ArizonaKingman, Arizona
Kingman is located in a desert climate on the edge of the Mojave Desert, but its higher elevation and location between the Colorado Plateau and the Lower Colorado River Valley tempers summer high temperatures and contributes to winter cold and rare snowfall. Summer daytime highs reach above 90 °F ...
. US 93 passes the towns of White Hills, Dolan Springs
Dolan Springs, Arizona
Dolan Springs is a census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,867 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dolan Springs is located at ....
, Chloride
Chloride, Arizona
Chloride is a onetime silver mining camp in Mohave County, Arizona, and is considered the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state. Chloride has a ZIP Code of 86431; in 2000, the population of the 86431 ZCTA was 352.- History :...
and Golden Valley
Golden Valley, Arizona
Golden Valley is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. The population was 4,515 at the 2000 census.-Name:...
. As it enters Kingman, US 93 becomes Beale Street, but Arizona is studying a direct freeway connection for US 93 and Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
.
Kingman to Wickenburg
Interstate 11 would overlap with Interstate 40 for about 20 miles east of Kingman, before branching southward along US 93. The Arizona Department of Transportation is widening this stretch to four lanes, including a bypass of WikieupWikieup, Arizona
Wikieup is a small unincorporated community located on U.S. Route 93 in Mohave County, Arizona. It is located approximately south of Interstate 40 and approximately northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. In 2000, the population of Wikieup's ZCTA was 305....
. This also passes the hamlet of Nothing
Nothing, Arizona
Nothing was a small unincorporated settlement in far eastern Mohave County, Arizona, United States with four inhabitants.-History:The locals told travelers it "got named by a bunch of drunks."...
and crosses the Big Sandy
Big Sandy River (Arizona)
The Big Sandy River is in northwestern Arizona in Mohave County. It begins where Cottonwood Wash and Trout Creek converge in the Hualapai Indian Reservation near Hualapai Peak then flows past Wikieup south of Kingman. It has a length of and joins the Santa Maria River to form Bill Williams River...
and Santa Maria
Santa Maria River (Arizona)
The Santa Maria River is an intermittent stream located in western Arizona. It is a primary tributary of the Bill Williams River and one of the main sources of inflow for Alamo Lake...
rivers, as well as Burro Creek.
South of the Santa Maria River, Interstate 11 would mostly follow US 93's alignment, although the proposal for the Hassayampa Freeway by the Maricopa Association of Governments shows the likely I-11 corridor branching off from US 93 west of Wickenburg, bypassing the town.
Wickenburg to Phoenix
The Hassayampa Freeway is a proposed freeway that would run from Wickenburg to Interstate 10Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
in Tonopah, about 50 miles west of Phoenix. However, a more direct route would be preferred by using the existing US 60 from Wickenburg to Phoenix, but upgrading the Grand Avenue section of US 60 has been proven difficult. Grand Avenue had previously been designated for upgrade to full freeway status, but right-of-way issues and budget constraints caused the plans to be scaled back.
History
As recently as 1997, US 93 was mostly a two-lane road between PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and Las Vegas, and was known for its dangerous curves and hills in the stretch between Wickenburg and Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
. In the late 1990s the Arizona Department of Transportation
Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona Department of Transportation is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with public transportation and municipal airports...
(ADOT) began widening US 93 to four lanes, and in some areas building a completely new roadway. In other places along the route, ADOT simply repaved the old highway and built two new lanes parallel to it. ADOT also began studying the possibility of adding grade separations to US 93 near the Santa Maria River
Santa Maria River (Arizona)
The Santa Maria River is an intermittent stream located in western Arizona. It is a primary tributary of the Bill Williams River and one of the main sources of inflow for Alamo Lake...
to make the road a full freeway.
At the same time Arizona and Nevada began looking at US 93's crossing of Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President...
, a major bottleneck for regional commerce, with hairpin turns, multiple crosswalks for pedestrians and steep grades. Plans for a bridge to bypass the dam
Hoover Dam Bypass
The Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the key component to the Hoover Dam Bypass project, was the first concrete-steel composite arch bridge built in the United States, and it incorporates the longest concrete arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. Opened on October 19, 2010,...
became even more urgent when the road was closed to trucks after September 11, 2001, forcing commercial traffic to detour through Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, USA, roughly south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the employment for Bullhead City...
and Laughlin, Nevada
Laughlin, Nevada
Laughlin is a census-designated place in Clark County, Nevada, United States, and a port located on the Colorado River. Laughlin is south of Las Vegas, located in the far southern tip of Nevada. It is best known for its gaming, entertainment, and water recreation. As of the 2010 census, the...
.
With the completion of the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge in October 2010, the vast majority of the roadway is now a four-lane, divided highway. Still, with Phoenix and Las Vegas being the two largest neighboring cities in America not connected by interstate highway, leaders in both cities are lobbying to include Interstate 11 in the next Transportation Equity Act reauthorization.