Construction on Boulder City Bypass to begin in April

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada officials have awarded $83 million to a road construction company for first phase of what could eventually be an interstate linking Las Vegas and Phoenix.

The Nevada Department of Transportation awarded a construction contract Monday to North Dakota-based Fisher Sand & Gravel for a 2.5-mile-long portion of freeway and interchange in Boulder City.

The road is part of the Boulder City Bypass that aims to direct truck traffic away from downtown Boulder City, and part of the proposed Interstate 11 that would give drivers a more efficient route to Arizona.

The project also calls for a 180-foot-long steel truss bridge over U.S. 93 that will reconnect railroad tracks that were severed by the highway.

Construction is set to begin in April and wrap up in early 2018.