State Route 157 (SR 157), also known as Kyle Canyon Road, is a U.S. state highway in Clark County, Nevada. The highway connects the Las Vegas area to the recreational areas of Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains.
 State Route 157 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Canyon Road | ||||
 SR 157 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NDOT | ||||
| Length | 21.562 mi[1] (34.701 km) | |||
| Existed | 1976–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Dead end in Mount Charleston | |||
| East end |   I-11 / US 95 / Sun Village Park Drive in Las Vegas | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Nevada | |||
| Counties | Clark | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Located in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, a portion of SR 157 has been designated a Nevada Scenic Byway. The route was originally State Route 39 and has origins dating back to the 1930s.
Route description
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The highway begins at a dead end near Mount Charleston before descending downwards to the village of Mount Charleston. SR 157 then heads east, rapidly losing elevation. Within a span of 20 miles (32 km), an elevation of 3,000 feet (910 m) is lost with a noticeable difference: temperatures increase, trees and shrubs become less green and numerous, and lasting snow cover during winter months is no longer present. Part of the route is designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway. SR 157 then meets Interstate 11 (I-11)/U.S. Route 95 (US 95) at a diverging diamond interchange before ending at Sky Pointe Drive in northwest Las Vegas.
History
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Kyle Canyon Road has existed since at least 1933, having been established as a county road connecting Charleston Peak (in what was then Dixie National Forest) to State Route 5 (now US 95) at Tule to the east.[2] By 1935, the entire 21 miles (34 km) of the highway had been paved and designated as State Route 39 by the state.[3]
SR 39 appears to have remained unchanged for several years after being included in the state highway system. Its first major change occurred on July 1, 1976, when the route was renumbered to State Route 157 in the mass renumbering of Nevada's state highways.[4] This change was first reflected on official state maps in 1978.[5]
In July 1998, the Nevada Department of Transportation designated SR 157 as a Nevada Scenic Byway. The scenic route encompasses the westernmost 13 miles (21 km) of the highway within the national forest area.[6]
On June 20, 2019, NDOT celebrated the completion of the diverging diamond interchange at the SR 157 junction with US 95, which later opened on June 24, 2019. The interchange was a component of a $78 million project which improved a 6-mile (9.7 km) stretch of US 95 in northwest Las Vegas between Ann Road and SR 157, and replaced what was previously an at-grade intersection.[7][8]
Major intersections
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The entire route is in Clark County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Charleston | 0.00 | 0.00 | Charleston Recreational Area – centerline of loop | Dead end; western terminus | |
| 3.61 | 5.81 |   SR 158 north (Deer Creek Road) – Lee Canyon, Indian Springs | |||
| Las Vegas | 21.10– 21.24 | 33.96– 34.18 | I-11 / US 95 (Veterans Memorial Highway) – Downtown Las Vegas, Tonopah, Reno | Diverging diamond interchange; I-11/US 95 exit 96 | |
| 21.36 | 34.38 | Sun Village Park Drive | Eastern terminus; continuation east beyond terminus as Sunstone Parkway | ||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
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References
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- ^ a b Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2020). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Official Road Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada State Highway Department. 1933. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Official Road Map of Nevada (Map). Nevada State Highway Department. 1935. Archived from the original on 2012-12-11. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Nevada State Maintained Highways: Descriptions, Index and Maps. Nevada Department of Transportation. January 2001. p. 98.
- ^ Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1978-79 ed.). Nevada State Highway Department. 1978. § F5. Archived from the original on 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ Nevada Department of Transportation. "Nevada's Scenic Byways". Archived from the original on 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Akers, Mick (June 20, 2019). "$78M Kyle Canyon interchange complete in northwest Las Vegas Valley". Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Cone Zone: June 20, 2019". YouTube. FOX5 Las Vegas. Retrieved July 6, 2019.