Laughlin-Bullhead City Bridge
Today, a single bridge over the Colorado River provides the only major link between Laughlin, Nev. and Bullhead City, Ariz. The two communities complement one another in residential and employment opportunities with Bullhead City providing a large portion of Laughlin’s workforce. The existing bridge connects the two cities at State Highway 163 where the river is less than 2,000 feet wide. Vehicle crashes interfere with traffic flow across the bridge and often result in closures and lengthy delays. Emergency medical, fire and other services are compromised and public safety is affected when the existing bridge is blocked due to accidents, stalled vehicles or substantial traffic jams.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to assess the social, economic, and environmental impacts of a proposed action for projects that may utilize federal funding. The Federal Highway Administration in cooperation with the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT); U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE); U.S. Coast Guard (USCG); and Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed new bridge over the Colorado River between Laughlin, Nevada and Bullhead City, Arizona. This newly proposed bi-state bridge project would be in addition to the existing four-lane Laughlin Bridge that crosses the Colorado River at approximately 1.9 miles south (downstream) of Davis Dam and approximately 12.4 miles north (upstream) of the proposed bridge.
An Environmental Assessment (EA) is one of the approaches used in the NEPA process to accomplish the above-mentioned goals. The assessment is a concise federal document available to the public that provides sufficient evidence and analysis to allow the lead agency to determine whether there will be significant adverse social, economic, and environmental impacts. For the Laughlin-Bullhead City Bridge Project, the FHWA’s Nevada Division is the lead agency.
Environmental Assessment
In October 2010, the Environmental Assessment was completed and the proposed Parkway Build Alternative was recommended. The full Environmental Assessment document is available via the following link: Laughlin-Bullhead City Project Environmental Assessment (October 2010)
Environmental Decision
(July 2011)
After the Environmental Assessment was reviewed by all the cooperating agencies, the Federal Highway Administration issued a decision of Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed Parkway Build Alternative. A copy of the decision is available via the following link: Federal Highway Administration Finding of No Signigicant Impact
Federal Register Publication
(August 2011)
Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on Proposed Bridge and Approach Roadways in Nevada and Arizona
Revised Build Alternatives Engineering Drawings August 14, 2009
Parkway Plans 1-6 (PDF)
Parkway Plans 7-12 (PDF)
Parkway Plans 13-17 (PDF)
