18 MILLION DOLLARS OF IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED AT LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
BOULDER CITY, NEV. - The National Park Service has made more than $18 million of improvements to major developed areas at Lake Mead National Recreation Area since last summer.
"We continue to improve our roads and infrastructure at Lake Mead to improve safety and enhance the visitors' experience," said Bruce Nyhuis, the park's assistant chief of maintenance for special projects. "We are looking forward to our summer crowds in 2013 and hope they enjoy the improvements at the park."
Located just minutes from Las Vegas and only five hours from Los Angeles and San Diego, the park welcomed more than six million recreation visitors in 2012, making it the fifth most visited unit of the National Park Service.
More than 3.5 million people visited the park from May to September; therefore, Nyhuis said the park coordinates most construction during the off season to limit visitor disruption.
"We really tried hard to complete all of the projects before Memorial Day," he said. "A couple of the projects are receiving finishing touches this week."
Boulder Beach Enhancement Project
Boulder Beach, the park's busiest developed area, saw more than one million visitors in 2012. Through the $1.2 million Boulder Beach Enhancement Project, construction crews rehabilitated the parking lot and reinforced the historic wall foundation at the Lakeview Overlook. The project also included the installation of a new boat wash station (for removal of Quagga mussels) on Hemenway Harbor Road, the installation of a new asphalt parking lot for the existing fish cleaner and comfort station on Hemenway Harbor Road and the installation of approximately 1,000 feet of new asphalt pavement on Horsepower Cove Road. The contractor was Abide International based out of California.
Boulder Beach Campground
Also at Boulder Beach, the park service invested $2.6 million at the campground. It can now accommodate modern RVs and the site has five new handicap-accessible restrooms, new native vegetation and an upgraded automatic irrigation system that will help to conserve water. The contractor was E-Corp from Las Vegas.
Echo Bay Access Road
The $4.5 million Echo Bay Access Road project was designed to make the four-mile road safer for the bay's nearly 200,000 annual visitors. Crews removed and replaced asphalt, installed new guardrail, extended drainage culverts, added rip rap and installed new tortoise fencing. The project began approximately 500 feet east of the intersection of Northshore and Echo Bay Access Road and continued past the existing ranger station. The contractor was Las Vegas Paving.
Echo Bay Water and Wastewater Underground Lateral Piping
Also at Echo Bay, deteriorated underground water and wastewater piping was replaced under a $250,000 contract. The contractor was MTM Builders.
Callville Bay
More than 300,000 people visited Callville Bay in 2012 where two projects, totaling nearly $4 million, were completed. A $1.4 million project included the construction of a new ranger facility that will serve the Callville Bay area. Improvements were also made to the picnic/day use area. The park added parking, provided accessible concrete pathways, developed new interpretive media and improved plant irrigation.
The second project at Callville Bay was a $2.3 million expansion to the wastewater treatment facility needed to meet capacity and regulatory requirements. The contractor for both projects was Marcon Engineering, Inc. from Escondido, Calif.
Alan Bible Visitor Center
The park's main visitor center near the Boulder Entrance Station had been closed since September 2010 while it received a $2.9 million renovation. It re-opened in February. The walkways to the building were replaced and an elevator was added for more accessibility. Inside, the air conditioning and lighting were improved in the exhibit hall, lobby and auditorium. The auditorium also received a new audio visual system where the new park film is shown. The building is now more energy efficient. New windows and a new photovoltaic system will offset up to 25 percent of energy consumption at the facility. The contractor for this project was MaxFour from Englewood, Colo.
Interagency Communications Center
A new $2.9 million Interagency Communications Center was constructed in the park's administrative area in Boulder City. The building now serves as the hub for dispatching fire, law enforcement, recreation, resources and administrative capacities for the multiple agencies that operate at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The contractor was United Construction Contractor from Reno, Nev.
All of the projects were planned and initiated more than seven years ago, and the $18 million in funding came from a variety of sources, including the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, Federal Lands Transportation Program and the National Park Service Repair-Rehabilitation program.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
