Parkway transformation to start soon

Boulder City’s complete street project is expected to start this month and will include utility upgrades and road improvements, according to the city.

The $17.5 million project will renovate the street and sidewalks on Boulder City Parkway from Buchanan Boulevard to Veterans Memorial Drive to be safer and more aesthetically pleasing by installing medians, pedestrian crossings, curbs, gutters, separated sidewalks and new driveways. Upgrades will be made to the sewer main and water systems, including installing new fire hydrants and an irrigation system.

Completion is expected by May.

“Since we already have the road open during this project, it’s the best time to get in there and replace all these utilities,” Public Works Director Keegan Littrell said.

Out of the cost for the project, the city is responsible for $596,780 to cover the utility replacements. At its June 25 meeting, City Council approved reallocating approximately $700,000 in leftover money from several completed capital improvement projects to the project.

Mayor Kiernan McManus said it would be “shortsighted” for the city not to upgrade the utilities while work is being done on the street.

“We know we have a lot of work to do on our infrastructure here in Boulder City,” he said. “Some projects are going to have to get moved up, depending on what happens.”

The guaranteed maximum price for the construction on the project is $15,877,155.70, according to construction manager American Civil Constructors, which does business as Meadow Valley Contractors. These costs will be covered by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is providing $640,000 for more in-depth repairs to the asphalt on the stretch of Boulder City Parkway.

“Most of the existing asphalt will be a 1-inch mill and overlay, but there will be portions with complete reconstruction where the pavement is failing,” Littrell said.

He added they are waiting for the permit from the Transportation Department but expect to start work the second or third week of this month, July. The project is expected to take 10 months to complete, but he said the contractor is looking at ways to shorten that time frame for less disturbance to businesses, residents and visitors.

“We’re trying to impact the public the least as possible,” he said.

Access to all of the affected businesses will remain open.

The project was originally estimated to cost $12.4 million. Littrell said it increased for several reasons.

“One is due to the original estimate being created prior to the design being started,” he said. “Public works always comes up with an estimate in the beginning stages knowing that it will be refined once the design is complete. Another reason is that construction costs are rising year after year all across the nation. RTC also asked that we include additional conduits to the project for future use to link the traffic signals at Veterans Memorial Drive and Buchanan Boulevard together.”

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.