Lake Mead Visitor Center to Undergo Accessibility Improvements
BOULDER CITY, Nevada - The Lake Mead Visitor Center will receive more than $570,000 in renovations to improve overall accessibility for park visitors and staff. During construction, the visitor center will remain open.
Starting Oct. 29, the entry plaza, botanical gardens and nature walkways will be upgraded to comply with current accessibility standards. Grades and widths will be improved along the paths and entry plaza, providing more gradual slopes and wider paths for wheelchairs and strollers.
To provide more shade in the plaza, the existing robusta palms will be replaced with date palms, and new park benches will be added. The demonstration gardens will also undergo fresh landscaping with the support of the park’s Native Plant Nursery.
The outer nature walkways will be upgraded with a new stabilized crushed granite walking surface, similar to the surface at the Historic Railroad Trail. At various locations, additional seating will be provided, so visitors can relax and enjoy the surrounding nature and view of Lake Mead.
The irrigation system will be upgraded and modernized, and the drainage system will be expanded and improved.
The construction is expected to occur Mondays-Fridays through February. During this time, signs and fencing will provide visitors with detour information, so they can continue to stop into the visitor center to watch the film, explore the exhibits, plan their trip, visit with rangers and pick up a souvenir.
The contractor is Catworks Construction out of Vancouver, Washington. Funding for the project is provided by park entrance fees. To learn more about how fee dollars are used to improve visitor services, visit https://www.nps.gov/lake/learn/management/yourdollarsatwork.htm.
-NPS-
Tags: deferred maintenance infrastructure construction fee dollars fee dollars at work
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
