U.S. Route 95 Alternate (Las Vegas)


U.S. Route 95 Alternate was an alternate route of U.S. Route 95 in Las Vegas, Nevada that provided a bypass of the downtown area. The route was also designated as State Route 5C, a branch of State Route 5.

Route description

US 95A and SR 5C began at the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Fremont Street in Las Vegas. From there, the highway proceeded along Charleston Boulevard, crossing U.S. [Route 91 in Nevada|US 91] and US 466, to a junction approximately to the west. At this point, Charleston Boulevard continued west along then-Nevada [State Route 85 (1940s)|SR 85] while Alternate US 95 curved northward to follow Rancho Road to a terminus at Bonanza Road.

History

It is unclear when State Route 5C and Alternate US 95 were first designated. A 1952 map of downtown Las Vegas shows the highway alignment with the state route number and without the US highway designation. Another map, produced by a Las Vegas realty company in 1955, depicts Alternate US 95 on this alignment, but no state highways. In the Las Vegas area inset of Nevada's official 1953 state map, US 95A and SR 5C are shown prominently, but without any highway labels. State highway maps would frequently display the route as a major thoroughfare up through the 1987–88 version. With the 1976 renumbering of Nevada's state routes and US 95 freeway construction throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the State Route 5C and Alternate US 95 designations were likely eliminated prior to this time.