A new paved trail is coming to southwest Las Vegas.
Clark County hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the upcoming 3-mile Blue Diamond Wash Trail that will run near its namesake road, from Durango Drive to Hualapai Way.
Commissioner Justin Jones said that the project will foster community and allow improved connectivity to an expansive trail system the county is working to bolster.
“People don’t just want to buy a home, they want to buy a community,” he said. “And so, in the southwest valley, we are building community: brick by brick, and trail by trail.”
Completion of the path is expected in the second quarter of 2027, according to the county.
The trail will be 15 feet wide and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, “which is fantastic,” Jones said.
The commissioner envisions that recreationists of all types and ages will take advantage of the trail.
“There’ll be a little jut out from the trail itself, so if the kids want to get out there and do a little exercise during the day or before and after school, it’ll give that opportunity to those kids,” Jones said. “We want to provide all of the safest opportunities for people to use our trails; use our parks, and get to and from school, work, and play.”
The trail is being built by Unicon LLC, at a cost of roughly $2.8 million, according to the county.
It will include a crossing at Fort Apache Road and protective measures to guard it from erosive water flows, the county said.
The project came together after yearslong coordination with the federal government “to ensure that the integrity of the existing control easements and immediately adjacent land is maintained,” added the county.
Clark County said that it’s also planning to build a parking lot and a paved road to access the trail at Hualapai. That end will eventually connect to the planned 19-mile Red Rock Legacy Trail in the far west valley.
Earlier this year, bicyclists and officials celebrated the completion of that trail’s first mile near the entrance of the popular Red Rock National Conservation Area.
At Tuesday’s event, Jones said that people he’d spoken to were excited about the Blue Diamond Wash Trail. He said it should be a safe outdoor option for residents.
“We all know that our roads are sometimes not the safest here,” he said. “Sometimes the sidewalk is just not wide enough, and that’s why we want these wonderful paved trails, so people can feel safe out there.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
