The oldest operating casino in Nevada, the Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino, has welcomed a recent decision by Henderson City Council that will allow it to expand via the construction of a ten-acre travel center.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, Tuesday saw local officials approve an ordinance rezoning the Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino’s immediate surroundings from “tourist commercial” to “community commercial” and the casino now intends to build a car and truck re-fuelling station alongside a larger parking lot.

Located approximately 20 miles southeast of Las Vegas about halfway between the cities of Henderson and Boulder City, the Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino first opened its doors in August of 1931 and additionally wants the travel center to feature parking for about 100 trucks, a convenience store, showers and two quick-service restaurants.

“It was part of the strategic plan in buying the place,” Joe DeSimone, owner of the Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We started working feverishly on it once we bought the property.”

DeSimone declared that the expansion plan, which is being made possible by the construction of the new Interstate 11 by-pass around Boulder City, will create the first truck stop on the 104-mile stretch of US Route 93 between Kingman, Arizona, and Las Vegas.

“The truck stop is something I’ve wanted to do since I purchased the property,” DeSimone told the newspaper. “We have the capital to do it and the know-how to do it. So it’s shame on us if we don’t.”

DeSimone explained that the project is additionally set to include a revamp of the trailhead to access River Mountain Loop, which was coordinated in partnership with officials in Boulder City.

“The city has always used a portion of our property to access the trailhead; it will just be better now,” DeSimone told the newspaper.

The Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino currently offers 120 hotel rooms and DeSimone further declared that he is hoping to cross-market all of the property’s services to travelers.

“The casino will market with the truck stop and the truck stop will operate with the casino,” DeSimone told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re doing really well and now we’re going to do even better.”

DeSimone proclaimed that the Railroad Pass Hotel And Casino is “strategically located” to take advantage of such a travel center and he expects to open the new development by the end of April.