McCarran Airport Connector
Encyclopedia
The McCarran Airport Connector (MAC) is a limited-access
Limited-access road
A limited-access road known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a controlled-access highway , including limited or no access to adjacent...

 roadway system located in Paradise
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...

, an unincorporated town near Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 in Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...

, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

, USA. Composed of State Route 171 (SR 171), the Airport Tunnel, and arterial streets, the airport connector provides vehicular access to the passenger terminals at McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...

.

Route description

The McCarran Airport Connector begins at an interchange with Interstate 215
Interstate 215 (Nevada)
The Las Vegas Beltway is the name of the beltway route circling three-quarters of the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada. The Las Vegas Beltway carries two numerical designations. Approximately of the beltway, from its southern terminus at Interstate 515/U.S. Route 93/U.S...

 (exit 10) in Paradise. From there, the route follows unsigned
Unsigned highway
An unsigned highway is a highway that has been assigned a route number, but does not bear conventional road markings that would normally be used to identify the route with that number...

 State Route 171 as it transitions to a below-ground freeway alignment. The connector crosses underneath several local streets and a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

 as it heads northward towards the airport. SR 171 encounters a half-diamond interchange with Sunset Road (SR 562) before entering the airport, allowing drivers to shortcut between I-215 and Sunset Road. The state highway designation ends 0.639 miles (1 km) north of the interstate interchange at the south portal of the airport tunnel.

The end of State Route 171 is adjacent to the beginning of the Airport Tunnels. A separate tunnel is provided for both northbound and southbound traffic, with a third tunnel in between reserved for future transit use. The tunnels continue northward, crossing under the east–west runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

s and taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....

s of the airport and emerging on the opposite side.

Curving westward after exiting the north portal, the MAC meets the main terminal grounds with ramps providing terminal access to and from the south. The freeway grade road ends with a traffic signal at Russell Road. North of the signal, the connector transitions to a one-way couplet network, with northbound traffic following Swenson Street and southbound traffic using Paradise Road. Another set of ramps provides airport terminal access to and from the north. Finally, the McCarran Airport Connector ends at Tropicana Avenue
Tropicana Avenue
Tropicana Avenue is a major east–west section line arterial in the Las Vegas area. The road is named after the Tropicana Resort & Casino which is located on the Las Vegas Boulevard where it intersects with Tropicana Avenue. Part of it is signed as Nevada State Route 593.-Route description:SR...

 (SR 593), although the one-way roads continue north for about a mile to Harmon Avenue.

In addition to providing access to the airport, the connector also serves as a shortcut between I-215 and Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) near the Thomas & Mack Center
Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is an arena, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522, for basketball, the capacity is 18,776.-History:...

 on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...

 campus. Also, following the relocation of McCarran Airport's car rental facilities to a new, centralized complex at 7135 Gilespie Street, SR 171 and the tunnel are now used by all shuttle buses carrying customers between the main passenger terminals and the rental car facility.

History

SR 171 and the Airport Tunnel opened to traffic in 1994, in conjunction with the completion of I-215 between Interstate 15 and Warm Springs Road.

Major intersections

The McCarran Airport Connector lies entirely within the unincorporated town of Paradise
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...

 in Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...

.
Mile Destination Notes
0.00 To Gilespie Street, rental car return; southern terminus of MAC & SR 171
Sunset Road (SR 562) Northbound exit and southbound entrance
0.64 Airport Tunnel southern portal Northern terminus of SR 171
Airport Tunnel northern portal
Terminal 1 & 2 (Wayne Newton Blvd)
Northbound exit and southbound entrance
Flight Path Ave Future access to future terminal 3
Russell Road
Terminal 2 (Kitty Hawk Way)
Southbound only
Terminal 1 (Wayne Newton Blvd)
Southbound exit and northbound entrance
Tropicana Avenue
Tropicana Avenue
Tropicana Avenue is a major east–west section line arterial in the Las Vegas area. The road is named after the Tropicana Resort & Casino which is located on the Las Vegas Boulevard where it intersects with Tropicana Avenue. Part of it is signed as Nevada State Route 593.-Route description:SR...

 (SR 593)
Northern terminus of MAC
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