Bullhead City and Laughlin share something somewhat unique. They share a river, In this case the Colorado River. At present one road crosses the river linking Arizona and Nevada in the vicinity of Bullhead. The Nevada side has casinos. The Arizona side doesn’t.
While the region Is hardly a metropolis, workers come from Bullhead City to work in the casino resorts. Is one bridge enough?
The region should be pleased that site clearing has begun for the $52.4 million bridge over the Colorado, the second crossing point.
“Bottom line, the new bridge project is underway after many, many years of dialogue and debate,” said Bullhead City Manager Toby Cotter. “It’s going to happen. It’s starting to happen now.”
The two communities depend on the gaming industry on one side for an economic engine.
“The need for a second bridge connecting Laughlin and Bullhead City has been discussed and planned for decades, with federal funding first committed in the 1990s,” said Clark County Commission Michael Naft, whose district includes Laughlin. “This bridge is an important transportation element, and it is also critical for emergency responders.”
The bridge will link the Bullhead Parkway in southern Bullhead City to Needles Highway in Laughlin, the Mohave Valley Daily News reported.
The existing Laughlin Bridge has been the only span within the Bullhead City limits since 2001.
The new bridge will be about eight miles south of the Laughlin Bridge and some six miles north of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge which goes from Fort Mohave to Laughlin. Before the Laughlin Bridge, the only bridge for the public was by the Davis Dam. That bridge closed to the public following 9/11.
Construction will begin by year’s end with a completion date set for the end of 2023. Clark County is contributing $27.1 million, the federal government is providing $20.8 million, and Bullhead City will pay $4.5 million.
It took Bullhead City several years to come up with its current preferred site.
But Laughlin officials didn’t like the site, saying it was too far south of Laughlin’s business and casino districts and that the location would require construction of a new roadway to connect the bridge to Needles Highway.
At one point, the Laughlin Town Advisory Board asked if there were other projects of greater benefit to Laughlin that could benefit from county money earmarked for the bridge.
But Clark County refused to back off its commitment to the bridge project, and the project got the go-ahead earlier this year.
In related news, Clark County leaders have given the OK to purchase another tract of land along the south Strip, near the McCarran International Airport. The Department of Aviation will buy 17.2 acres in proximity to the Diamond Inn Motel and the Little Church of the West wedding chapel for $60.3 million.
The seller, Lily Funds founder Tom McManus, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he expects the deal to close this month.
The approval comes after the commission in October approved the purchase of around 17.3 acres of mostly vacant real estate adjacent to the just bought site, this one for $55 million from lender TPG Real Estate Finance Trust.
The two acquisitions by the county Department of Aviation protects airport operations and control what is developed on these parcels and be certain it’s “compatible with airport operations,” McCarran spokeswoman Christine Crews said.
One choice is for more diverse air traffic that McCarran is already seeing, in part because of its proximity to Allegiant Stadium.
Operators of the Pinball Hall of Fame moved the arcade to a newly built facility on Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Russell Road this past spring, and next door, the developers of Dream Las Vegas have said they hope to break ground on the hotel-casino in 2022.
