Nevada roadways: Federal grant aids Nevada byways projects

Las Vegas is one step closer to obtaining a National Scenic Byway designation for the segment of Las Vegas Boulevard from Sahara Avenue north to Washington Avenue with receipt of $25,000 in federal funding.

The grant will be used to develop the Las Vegas Boulevard Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan, a necessary step toward eligibility for national recognition. The designation, as well as the All-American Road designation, are presented under the auspices of the America's Byways program, and are designated by the Secretary of Transportation. To qualify, a road must have outstanding archaeological, cultural, historic, natural recreational or scenic value.

"The No. 1 importance of the plan is that it is required to even apply for national designation, and once we get it designated as a national byway, then we will be eligible for much larger grants. The key is that you can only apply for projects that are in the Corridor Management Plan," said Yorgo Kagafas, a neighborhood planner with the city of Las Vegas and member of the city's Scenic Byway Committee, which is developing the plan.

"We hope to have the plan completed in November or December. There is no rush in completing the plan in that the federal government only opens up the nomination process for national designation once every three years. The next time that we will be able to apply will be in late 2004 or 2005."

The plan's 38-member committee has been meeting for about three months. It is comprised of representatives from the Nevada Department of Transportation, the city of Las Vegas, Clark County, the Nevada Commission on Tourism, property and business owners, and area residents. The committee is next scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the East Las Vegas Senior Community Center at 250 N. Eastern Ave.

"It's been a grass-roots effort. When we got the state scenic byways designation (in 2002), we thought that (this portion of) Las Vegas Boulevard deserved the status, and that it can only help promote the tourist activities on Las Vegas Boulevard and downtown. And, the business owners have recognized this as an opportunity to make improvements in the downtown area," Kagafas said.

"We've really gone out of our way to involve everyone that is being affected to participate in this plan. So far, there hasn't been any opposition whatsoever because ... the Corridor Management Plan is a nonregulatory plan. It does not restrict anybody from doing anything. Its only guidelines will be how to preserve the intrinsic qualities that we've applied for."

Byways grant monies can only be used to implement elements detailed in the plan. Kagafas said the committee may decide to specify faãade and sidewalk improvement programs so that additional funding may be obtained for such purposes.

NDOT designated the stretch of road as a Nevada Scenic Byway for its scenic, historical and cultural qualities.

According to the city, scenic qualities in the area include neon signs, views of the historic town center along Fremont Street, and landscaped medians. Among the historical and cultural aspects are the Mormon Fort State Park, Lied Discovery Children's Museum, Reed Whipple Cultural Center, Neon Museum's "boneyard," Natural History Museum, Arts Factory, and vintage motels and wedding chapels.

"This portion of Las Vegas Boulevard was basically the original Strip. Without our stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard being developed, the Strip would not have been developed," said Kagafas, pointing out that the Strip, south of Sahara, has already been recognized as an All-American Road, as well as a state scenic byway.

One other Nevada project was among the 206 nationwide to receive a share of the $24 million in byway funding -- the Pyramid Lake visitor center and museum, located north of Reno along the 37-mile Pyramid Lake National Scenic Byway.

Operated by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian tribe and located within its reservation, Larry Friedman of the Nevada Commission on Tourism said the center and museum will use their $80,000 award for additional parking areas, landscaping and picnicking facilities.

The museum was created through previous Scenic Byways funding, and the segment of road on which it and the visitor center sit has received both the national and state designations.

Real Estate home