Railroad Pass, , is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

through the Black Hills of the River Mountains in the southeastern portion of the city of

Henderson, Nevada Henderson is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, about southeast of downtown Las Vegas. It is the List of cities in Nevada, 2nd most populous city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with 317,610 residents. The city is part of the Las Vegas V ...

, which is part of the

Las Vegas metropolitan area Clark County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Nevada with 2,265,461 residents as of the 2020 census. The county is the location of the state's three largest cities, Las Vegas (the county seat), Henderson, and North Las Vegas ...

. Traversed by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

's Boulder City spur of the Henderson branch line and by the

Boulder Highway State Route 582 (SR 582) is a major highway in the Las Vegas Valley. The highway is the former route of U.S. Route 93 (US 93) and US 95 (and, historically, US 466) before they were moved to the current freeway alignment sh ...

(

US 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south U.S. Numbered Highway in the western United States, that connects U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Wickenburg, Arizona, with British Columbia Highway 93 at the Canadian border (north of ...

US 95 U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a major north–south United States Highway in the western United States. It travels through the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, staying inland from the Pacific Coast. US 95 b ...

), the pass connects Henderson with

Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of o ...

. In 1998, the

Nevada Department of Transportation The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways with ...

(NDOT) paved over the

at-grade crossing An intersection or an at-grade junction is a junction where two or more roads converge, diverge, meet or cross at the same height, as opposed to an interchange, which uses bridges or tunnels to separate different roads. Major intersections are ...

of the railroad tracks on Boulder Highway. The sharp skew angle (64 degrees) at this junction, high speeds on the highway, and little to no rail usage made this dangerous crossing a prime candidate for elimination. However, the historical significance of this rail spur and future potential for use by excursion and/or commuter trains merited its preservation. The initial phase of NDOT's Boulder City Bypass project will result in a new grade separation of the highway by 2015, allowing the rails to be reconnected so trains can once again reach Boulder City via Railroad Pass, As of April 10, 2018 the grade separation was complete, effectively allowing trains to reach Henderson. The Railroad Pass Hotel/Casino, is sited along Boulder Highway on the south side of the pass. Opened in 1931, it is one of the oldest casinos still operating in Nevada.

References

Landforms of Clark County, Nevada Mountain passes of Nevada {{ClarkCountyNV-geo-stub