North Las Vegas is set to break ground next Wednesday on a 2.7-mile extension of the I-215 Northern Beltway Trail. The segment will run from North Decatur Boulevard east to Clayton Street, giving cyclists a separated route alongside the freeway rather than requiring them to use city streets for that portion of the trip. According to FOX5, city officials will gather at Aviary Park on Sept. 23 to begin construction.
The first phase is scheduled for completion in late 2027 and will include trail lighting, native landscaping, wayfinding markers and interpretive signage, according to FOX5. The path will follow the north side of the beltway and pass below the Aviary Way overpass, allowing riders to avoid a street crossing at that point, KLAS 8 News Now reported.
More Phases Already Taking Shape
Planners are already advancing the next segment. Phase 1A would extend the trail another 1.8 miles from Clayton Street to North 5th Street, and its engineering designs are 90% complete, according to FOX5. The extension is intended to improve access between the new segment and existing wash trails while reducing the amount of route that requires riding on streets, according to 8 News Now.
A second phase is expected to begin design work later this year. It would add 1.25 miles along the south side of the I-215 beltway, from North 5th Street to Losee Road. The North 5th Street and 215 Beltway area could eventually provide access to trails leading toward Tule Springs National Monument, although trail development inside the monument remains years away, 8 News Now reported.
What Is Known About Funding
The project information cited for the North Las Vegas segment does not specify its construction cost or identify a final funding mix. Clark County's trail records provide funding context rather than a price for this project: according to Clark County, the 2.3-mile loop gravel Goodsprings Trail was built in 2019 with funding from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. Clark County also lists a completed trail segment extending almost 4 miles along the west side of the I-215 Beltway between Warm Springs and Pecos as part of the Las Vegas Valley Primary Trail System. That existing infrastructure provides regional context for the North Las Vegas extension, but it does not establish how much the new segment will cost or which sources will pay for it.
Part Of A Much Bigger Loop
The Northern Beltway Trail is designed to be a piece of something far larger. The full I-215 Northern Beltway Trail will run roughly 45 miles and is expected to eventually connect North Las Vegas to Henderson, according to the same fox5vegas.com report. City officials note that North Las Vegas already maintains more than 70 miles of public paths, and 8 News Now reports that mapped trails across the region already form an 86-mile loop around the Las Vegas Valley.
The regional network is being built through projects involving North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Las Vegas and the Nevada Department of Transportation, according to 8 News Now. An NDOT spokesperson told the station that the Northern Beltway Trail will occupy Clark County's right-of-way while North Las Vegas leads construction on this segment.
Other completed portions of the beltway system use bridges and a tunnel to carry bicycle and pedestrian traffic across or beneath major roads, according to 8 News Now. Those structures show how the broader network is addressing crossings separately from the new North Las Vegas construction.
The Western Beltway Trail currently ends at Tropicana Avenue near Lone Mountain Regional Park. On the eastern side, the Eastern Beltway Trail ends at Paradise Road, where cyclists currently continue on Warm Springs Road, according to 8 News Now.
The regional connections are not yet continuous. 8 News Now reported that it had sought information from Clark County about possible plans to link the Eastern and Western Beltway Trails but had not received details at the time of its report. Other valley routes include the Las Vegas Wash Trail near the River Mountains Loop and Clark County Wetlands Park.
Parks Along The Route
The trail network already threads past several notable green spaces. In North Las Vegas, Craig Ranch Regional Park sits along the Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail, according to 8 News Now. In Henderson, the Union Pacific Railroad Trail runs near Cornerstone Park, the Arroyo Grande Sports Complex and Acacia Park, the same report states.
Public-land-sale proceeds can support recreation projects through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, according to 8 News Now. For now, city officials are focused on starting work at Aviary Park; the completed segment is expected to provide a separated, paved route along the beltway, although riders will still encounter other crossings and unfinished connections elsewhere in the regional system.
