Despite concerns about traffic on South Las Vegas Boulevard, Southern Highlands won approval Wednesday to build a 2,400-room resort hotel at St. Rose Parkway and Interstate 15.

„I do have a real concern about … this very large facility going in and everything else happening up and down Las Vegas Boulevard,“ Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said. „How are we going to handle traffic that is already very, very congested?“

At least nine new casinos and high-rise condominiums are expected to be built along Las Vegas Boulevard south of Pebble Road over the next five years.

To accommodate the increasing number of vehicles, the county is building I-15 interchanges at Blue Diamond Road and Silverado Ranch Boulevard.

Land-use consultant Greg Borgel told Clark County commissioners that the majority of traffic generated by the resort is expected to use the freeway, not Las Vegas Boulevard.

Borgel said Southern Highlands developer Gary Goett has already contributed $ 7 million in land and cash to the improvement of the St. Rose Parkway-Interstate 15 interchange.

Attorney Chris Kaempfer, who represents Southern Highlands, said the project on 97 acres between Las Vegas Boulevard and I-15 will not affect nearby residents.

„Because of the location of this development, there is no impact on surrounding neighborhoods because there are no neighborhoods surrounding this development,“ Kaempfer said.