Nevada State Route 172 Explained

State:NV
Type:NV
Route:172
Alternate Name:Hoover Dam Access Road
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:SR 172 highlighted in red
Map Alt:Nevada State Route 172 runs west to east near the Hoover Dam
Length Mi:1.351
Length Ref:[1]
Established:2010
Direction A:West
Terminus A: northeast of Boulder City
Direction B:East
Terminus B:Hoover Dam Access Road west of Hoover Dam
Previous Type:SR
Previous Route:171
Next Type:SR
Next Route:173

State Route 172 (SR 172) is a state highway in Clark County, Nevada. The route provides access to Hoover Dam from Interstate 11 (I-11)/U.S. Route 93 (US 93)/U.S. Route 93 Business.

Route description

State Route 172 begins on Gold Strike Pass Road and Goldstrike Canyon Road, at an interchange with I-11/US 93/US 93 Bus. approximately 5miles northeast of downtown Boulder City. Proceeding northward for only a few feet, it turns right onto the old Nevada Highway, the original route of US 93. From there, the route travels eastward, following the curvy mountainside over Rough Summit headed toward Hoover Dam. Shortly after passing the turnoff for the Lakeview scenic viewpoint, the SR 172 designation ends 1.61miles west of the Arizona state line, just prior to a security checkpoint at the boundary with the Bureau of Reclamation's Hoover Dam Reservation. While the state highway designation ends at this point, the Hoover Dam Access Road continues eastward, passing the Mike O'Callaghan â€“ Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge Plaza, the Hoover Dam visitor center, and then crosses the dam itself into Arizona. However, it only runs a short distance in that state before looping through a new parking area at a helipad to return the way it came, the original road past that point being blocked off to prevent all but dam personnel from continuing further south.[1]

History

SR 172 was originally part of US 93.[1] US 93 was rerouted onto the Hoover Dam Bypass when construction was completed in October 2010, and the new state highway was designated over the old route.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps. Nevada Department of Transportation. January 2017. May 6, 2017.