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Ivanpah Valley from old Ivanpah settlement; Stateline/Primm, Nevada at base of mountains on left
Las Vegas' current commercial airport ([[McCarren]]) is projected to be over-capacity in a couple years. In addition to building another terminal at McCarren, they've determined they need a second airport.
About two years ago, Nevada's Clark County purchased the majority of this valley (including the dry lakebed which fills most of the valley) from the BLM[1], for about 20mln USD. They're looking to have the first flights from the tentatively-named [[Ivanpah Valley Airport]] in 2017.
I decided to visit the valley, just to make sure I saw what it was like before it became one of the country's busiest airports. As Chris says, it's only a few miles from the popular Cima Dome area of Mojave National Preserve. The place will never be the same.
Why Ivanpah Valley? Well it's "close", in suburban America terms -- it's only a 40 mile drive from Las Vegas. It's initially going to be for large, mostly international flights "where the passengers will not mind an extra hour of drive time". Long term, they are, of course, planning a monorail. That is Nevada's solution for everything now -- even Stateline/Primm, a town with three casinos, an outlet mall, and nothing else, has a monorail to cross the freeway (though with the airport moving in next door, that monorail might just get extended all the way to Las Vegas).
Instead of essentially stealing part of California (airspace and pollution-wise), they could have gone to some other area around Las Vegas, but it's tough finding space for airports in Nevada. There is tons of restricted airspace, due primarily to alien autopsies, Apollo moon landing simulation, and flying saucer experimentation.
I hate to admit that I will probably find entertainment in watching A380's full of Europeans land in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave, but mostly in that the-world-is-so-fucked-up sort of way. But that's Las Vegas.
[1] The Bureau of Land Management is basically the default owner of all of the United States. If you own land in the US, it was at some point purchased from the BLM, either with actual transfer of money or through assumption (via the widely-accepted squatter's rights prior to the Homestead Act). Most important to this part of the country was the Mining Land Act, which was basically a Homestead Act for metal mining claims. (The BLM is not to be confused with the other Department of Interior divisions like the National Park Service and the US Forest Service. Those are protected lands (to varying degrees), as opposed to BLM land which is mainly just 'administered' -- which just entails making sure it doesn't entirely burn during wildfires and selling it to the highest bidder at the approval of a congressman.)
February 6 2006, 02:08:12 UTC 6 years ago
I wish they would just do LAS-LAX high speed rail, with this place in the middle, and treat them as somewhat coterminal (at least, LAX-IVA and LAS-IVA as coterminal pairs). If the train cars were sealed, they could remain airside, and have multiple platforms at each airport, some groundside, some international airside pre-customs, and some airside.
February 8 2006, 07:36:10 UTC 6 years ago
The LAS-LAX high speed rail is a very worthy project. A lot of people go to LAS for the weekend (usually driving 100+ mi/hr on I-15 and killing each other a lot), and people never use their cars in LAS anyway (they're used to being so drunk they need to walk or take cabs). Much better project than, say, the SFO-LAX high speed rail, which I can't imagine any profitable use cases for.
February 6 2006, 02:20:21 UTC 6 years ago
This should prove especially amusing, given KLAS's recent middle-finger-response to Airbus' request to "let" the airport foot the bill for the necessary upgrades to support A380 operations there.
Another sign that Boeing pegged the long term market correctly and Airbus (continues to) get it wrong.
February 8 2006, 07:38:44 UTC 6 years ago
I think it's best not to think of Airbus as an airline company, but as some sort of European morale/welfare project.
July 17 2008, 09:52:22 UTC 3 years ago
October 9 2008, 17:07:10 UTC 3 years ago
October 9 2008, 15:18:26 UTC 3 years ago
Anonymous
February 6 2006, 07:41:37 UTC 6 years ago
WTF.
I find it incomprehensible that anyone would site an airport that far away. No one will fly there. Or at least, no one will be fooled into flying there twice.Personally, I usually think of Primm as "that place I hope I can coast to before the car runs out of fumes in the tank to run on."
February 6 2006, 07:42:24 UTC 6 years ago
Re: WTF.
Durn. Guess I wasn't logging in. Speaking of which, what happened to your midendian account?February 8 2006, 07:42:09 UTC 6 years ago
Re: WTF.
I dunno, several exurb airports have been pretty successful. Besides, in 10-15 years, that part of the desert won't seem so remote.Las Vegas/Henderson/Laughlin/whatever should be thinking about problems bigger than being able to cram in enough tourists. Like, say, WATER.
February 12 2006, 08:51:30 UTC 6 years ago
Re: WTF.
They should fly water in on A380s, or add urinals to the slot machines, desalinate/process piss from the old people playing (extra benefit: recovery of lots of expensive drugs), and not serve drinks, so people only stay briefly.Endless supply of water and money brought in by a380, export would be...debt?
Anonymous
October 30 2007, 04:36:59 UTC 4 years ago
Re: WTF.
If Las Vegas runs out water, California will be in ruin all south west will be dry. East coast will no longer be there. Now tell me where are you gonna be then and please tell me where I can hide.Anonymous
October 19 2007, 15:48:22 UTC 4 years ago
Anonymous
October 29 2007, 05:34:43 UTC 4 years ago
Don't Use Your Imagination, JUST LOOK & OBSERVED
Anyone who visits the Las Vegas area will notice new buildings sprouting all over from businesses to new communities. Did you ever ask yourselve, "whats going on here?" With that said the Real Estate market is a bust for now, the doom and gloom. For example, The City Center, I read that this is a $7 billion project. Do you think investors in this enormous complex are just playing around with their wealth like their in a casino. Commercial centers, hospitals, ie; Veterans Hospital in the north side. New planned communities, ie; Inspirada in the south. All ultra modern communities. New Bridge-Ways along Las Vegas Blvd at ST. Rose Pkwy, Silverado Ranch, Blue Diamond and many more to come. Mass transit from the north, straight to The Strip. Think about it... Where is Las Vegas going? Cool huh? It's a Las Vegan expression. Have you notice the I-15 from Primm Valley to The Strip. It's wide huh! Oh Ya!!! Now the Ivanpah International Airport. C. EkimFebruary 28 2008, 22:35:58 UTC 4 years ago
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May 13 2008, 11:38:28 UTC 4 years ago
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August 23 2008, 13:59:43 UTC 3 years ago
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November 7 2009, 21:51:23 UTC 2 years ago
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