Red Rock Loop Construction

Just received the email below re: the ongoing road construction;

Las Vegas – Crews will begin construction on Phase 2 of improvements to the 13-mile scenic loop in Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area on October 12. The construction, which is scheduled to proceed into summer, will improve three parking lots and rehabilitate pavement on the entire loop road.

The project is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and will be performed by Las Vegas Paving.

Construction will start with the improvement of the Calico 1 parking lot. The parking lot is scheduled to close after October 12, and will remain closed for about three months to complete the improvements. Construction is scheduled to start on Sandstone Quarry and Pine Creek Canyon parking lots after the first of the year when the Calico 1 parking lot reopens.

Rehabilitation of the pavement of the 13-mile scenic loop road is scheduled to begin around February. It will initially be performed in one-mile segments. During this time, the travel lane width will be reduced to 11 feet inside the one-mile segment. Each segment should take one week to complete. There will be a reduced speed limit and no passing allowed in the active construction segments. Visitors are asked to take extreme caution while traveling in the construction area, as it could be shared motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. The segments may expand a half mile if it is determined construction can be performed safely, and with minimal delay to visitors, after the first few miles are complete.

Progress and current construction area updates will be posted to BLM Nevada social media, including the Facebook Page at facebook.com/BLMNevada and the Twitter feed at twitter.com/BLMNV, and available at the fee booths and Visitors’ Center.

BigB wrote:... and rehabilitate pavement on the entire loop road.

Is this really necessary? I haven't noticed pot hole 1 on the entire loop.

Sounds like an excuse to spend our money

BigB wrote: Construction is scheduled to start on Sandstone Quarry and Pine Creek Canyon parking lots after the first of the year when the Calico 1 parking lot reopens.

Any indication if they will close Pine Creek parking lot totally during this time frame?

Leslie McG wrote: Any indication if they will close Pine Creek parking lot totally during this time frame?

It sounds like it... they say p1 will be closed then reopen. So, my guess is they'll do the same with sandstone and pine :(
On the bright side all the cyclists will be happy when they're done(and I'll admit the bridges were needed).
The real question is where's all the sport climbers/tourists going to park while P1 is closed? At P2(lol)? If so get ready for a real shitshow on nice weather days....

Are they still going to be doing the exit loop road they had selected? I hope so. Additionally, am I understanding this correctly that each parking lot they work on will be closed for 3 months?!

Weston L wrote:Are they still going to be doing the exit loop road they had selected?

You talking about the exit back out from sandstone? Word on the street is it's a phase 2 item , unless the first phase comes in under budget and a head schedule , then they might jump the gun and make it a first phase item.

I wish I could access the canyons to Willow from the other end of the loop... navigating those first 7 miles of runners, bikers, and recreationalists is a real crux and often more stressful than the climb itself. I imagine that the sport climbers feel similarly about the first few pullouts. Hard to believe how crowded the loop has gotten compared to my first visit in 2001: pretty wild user growth rate..

Jon O'Brien wrote:I wish I could access the canyons to Willow from the other end of the loop... navigating those first 7 miles of runners, bikers, and recreationalists is a real crux and often more stressful than the climb itself. I imagine that the sport climbers feel similarly about the first few pullouts. Hard to believe how crowded the loop has gotten compared to my first visit in 2001: pretty wild user growth rate..

The only solution is to tear up the pavement and return it to it's original dirt road condition (and bi-way traffic).

Nicholas Gillman wrote: You talking about the exit back out from sandstone? Word on the street is it's a phase 2 item , unless the first phase comes in under budget and a head schedule , then they might jump the gun and make it a first phase item.

I have it on pretty good authority that the "sport climber exit" isn't happening as of right now.... From what I understand it is still on the list of improvements if the money becomes available.

Billy - your commentary about that at the gym the other night was why I asked...see if there were other folks out there hearing what you were.

RR visitor numbers are estimated at 2.7 million this year, and that's just at the Panty Wall! No but that is the official number, and it's growing. The multitude of entities using RR as their main branding/media image has definitely made it the "outdoors" place to go for Vegas locals and visitors alike. I'm sure there are multiple other factors contributing to it's growth.

The Gov't entity that is funding and running this road construction program has a primary directive they can't alternate from and that is safety. So, expanding parking is the primary safety concern as vehicles currently parked in the road when the spaces fill up is the key safety concern. A return road from sandstone is secondary on the safety list, and therefore secondary on the funding priorities as designated by their departmental directives.

Walking an extra ten minutes, maybe even an hour to have possibly way fewer people at your climbing spot, pinch me but this sounds too good to be true! I'll vote for full loop closure, make RR an actual Wilderness like experience. Bikes, feet and livestock for the loop road from now on!

Hope this helps,

This^^ is what I've heard as well. That the road was a wishlist item. To be done in a 3rd phase, if everything else got completed and funding still allowed for it.

You might not be that far off when you say "they should close the loop to vehicles" ... there's been talk of it going to a system like Zion. For now, it got nixed, and these improvements are the result. I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if it's brought up again in the near future, especially if the growth continues at the same rate as the last 10 years. :/

BigB wrote:there's been talk of it going to a system like Zion. For now, it got nixed, and these improvements are the result. I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if it's brought up again in the near future, especially if the growth continues at the same rate as the last 10 years. :/

I hope that never comes to pass , I cannot stand the Zion shuttle.

JF1 wrote:RR visitor numbers are estimated at 2.7 million this year, and that's just at the Panty Wall! No but that is the official number, and it's growing.

That can't be real. 7584 a day on average, 2x that in good weather? Open, what, 12h a day so 632 per hour or 10 a minute?

BigB wrote:there's been talk of it going to a system like Zion

Doubt it'll happen in such a car-friendly town like Vegas.

but like I said, should have never been paved

2.2 million in fiscal year 2015 according to the BLM

The return road is the worst idea ever. It's unnecessary to bulldoze more land, the environmental impact would be way too high. The last thing I want to see from the top of the Calico Hills is more roads. The return road does the highest amount of damage to the land and it will actually do very little to alleviate overall road congestion. I venture to guess that by having the return road starting at Sandstone Quarry, it would receive little use because most tourists would prefer to go at least to the high point. Thus the nickname of the "sport climber exit" to describe the main beneficiary which is also a tiny portion of the overall traffic.

Two separate ideas are much better than the horrible return road idea.

First, the loop road could be widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic, still in one direction. This would allow slow drivers to be safely passed by others.

Or second, the loop road could be widened and changed to two-way traffic. This would have all the benefits of the return road but it confines the roads to currently existing locations.

These BLM projects are way to high-impact on the natural character of Red Rock.

The bridges are laughable and ridiculous. Talk about "bridges to nowhere". These washes flood so rarely and for so short a time than people just had to wait a short while and then the road would be safe to travel again. Money wasted.

When I attended a pre-construction information meeting, the Red Rock BLM director said that the bridge work would take place at night in a way that would least affect visitors and wild life. This did not come true at all. And we were faced with over a year of heavy truck traffic barreling though the loop road with extremely load engine brakes, disrupting even the wilderness experience expected back in the canyons. The racket rivaled the noise generated by all these low-flying tour helicopters -- that the BLM seems to think they can do nothing about, as well.

JF1 wrote:2.2 million in fiscal year 2015 according to the BLM

In order to achieve this inflated visitor number, the BLM probably counted vehicles merely traveling on highways 157 and 160. So people that travel to or from Pahrump or Kyle Canyon could very well be included just because they traverse the National Conservation Area, coming nowhere near the core loop road area.

John Hegyes wrote:First, the loop road could be widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic, still in one direction.

How is this not currently the case? Do you drive a semi?

The only reason you can't pass people on the current road is because the boomers on the road are SHITTY DRIVERS who DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!

No manner of widening is going to solve that problem.

John Hegyes wrote:Or second, the loop road could be widened and changed to two-way traffic. This would have all the benefits of the return road but it confines the roads to currently existing locations.

The road used to be two-way, before it was PAVED

Ball wrote:The only reason you can't pass people on the current road is because the boomers on the road are SHITTY DRIVERS who DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! No manner of widening is going to solve that problem.

But the simple act of painting a center line just might.

John Hegyes wrote:First, the loop road could be widened to accommodate two lanes of traffic, still in one direction. This would allow slow drivers to be safely passed by others.

Ball wrote: How is this not currently the case? Do you drive a semi? The only reason you can't pass people on the current road is because the boomers on the road are SHITTY DRIVERS who DRIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! No manner of widening is going to solve that problem.

Yes, a lot of people are oblivious and drive in the middle of the road -- causing congestion. Only striping the road for two lanes would solve that. And the road does need to be widened before it can be striped.