SNVBC

New buffered bike lanes unveiled on South Fort Apache Road!

In case you missed it, another segment of the south Fort Apache Road improvement project was just completed in August.

In an announcement by Las Vegas Commissioner Justin Jones, cyclists can now enjoy riding in the newly constructed buffered bike lanes on Fort Apache from Maule Avenue north of Warm Springs to Huntington Cove/Sherwood Greens, a length of about 1¾ miles. 

For years the SNVBC, in partnership with Save Red Rock, advocated for and petitioned for significant roadway improvements, including the addition of bicycle facilities for this section of roadway.

Fort Apache with the new buffered bike lanes in each direction.

This section of road is a common link for bike riders from the south/blue diamond road area to Summerlin. This portion of Fort Apache was particularly hazardous as it was a two-lane road with no shoulder, the pavement was crumbling, and potholes were everywhere…putting vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians at risk.

Starting in January 2022, this section of Fort Apache now has not only buffered bike lanes but also two vehicle lanes in both directions, new lighting, and sidewalks.

The next phase of this project will extend these same improvements another mile+ south on Fort Apache to SR 160 (or Blue Diamond Road). When this last improvement is complete, the nearly 3-mile stretch of Fort Apache will then be able to connect with the Red Rock Legacy Trail, which has been in the works for more than a decade. The Red Rock Legacy Trail is a planned 40-mile, two-way biking/running/pedestrian trail through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Commissioner Jones also mentioned the construction of the Bike Skills Park at Ft. Apache and Warm Springs will be underway next year.

Commissioner Justin Jones (District F) on the left, Rob Hutchinson (SNVBC and Southern Nevada Mountain Biking Association) on the right at the news conference on Fort Apache.
Commissioner Justin Jones (left) and concerned citizen Ed Benitez (right) with his sign that helped inspire the road construction.

Next time you ride in this area, check out the new buffered bike lane and let us know what you think! 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Scott

    This is great! I have been trying to get the city/DOT to repaint the bike lane striping along West Lake Mead to the 215 Beltway. Speed limits recently increased from 35 to 45 mph on this section.

    • Keely Brooks

      Hi Scott! Thanks for your interest. Can you let me know the cross street with Lake Mead for where the stripping needs to happen. I got the end point (lake mead and the 215) I just need the starting point. I’ll follow up with them to see what the timeline for that is.

      • Scott

        Hi Keely – West Lake Mead from the 215 to the 95 interchange is a bike lane. The section from Anasazi to the 215 is the section that needs the most attention. Especially, as I said the speed limit has increased and this has the most bike traffic.

  2. Jenna

    A can easily drive over the painted lines and hit a cyclist still. Paint is not infrastructure. Don’t settle for less than protected bike lanes.

    • Anthony Capsouto

      Hi Jenna,
      While I personally agree with you that a bucket of paint isn’t going to stop a collision from happening, we can certainly rejoice that we at least have a lane of pavement for cyclists and don’t have to ride in the active lanes. One step at a time we can and will change for the better!

  4. Dana Jonathon Nitz

    The buffered bike lanes are great! All involved in getting them installed should be commended. Driving or riding next to them several times per week, I see some changes that should be made.
    When it rained heavily a couple weeks ago. The old mountain mine on the west southbound side flooded and completely covered the bike lanes and half the right southbound lane with mud and rocks rendering the bike lane impassible. Rip rap or other ground control needs to be placed on the adjacent hill. Second, cars coming out of Rhodes Ranch at Huntington Cove treat the bike lane as a merging lane when they turn north. Better markings need to be placed, like the full lane width green paint with the white bike in it as found at many other intersections. Similarly the outside lane of 3 northbound lanes needs to show merger with the middle lane before Huntington Cove. Many cars go straight through the intersection from a travel lane into the bike lane. There are no bike lane symbols from Huntington Cove to Warm Springs, so there should be several. Finally at Warm Springs cars move into the bike lane so cars move into the bike lane hundreds of feet back and treat the whole bike lanes as a turn lane. So there needs to be better signage or something to keep cars out of it. Even if it is just “bikes only” signs on the light poles and in the road.

    • Keely Brooks

      Hi Dana,
      I forwarded your comment and recommendations to Clark County to be addressed. Thank you for your interest and for providing helpful information to ensure we make it as safe as we can for all users of the roadway.

  5. Shun Otsubo

    This a great step in the right direction! Would love to see more of these as well as separated bike lanes all over the valley. The southwest has so much potential since there is so much unfinished infrastructure down here.