I-15 lane restrictions, full Tropicana bridge closure on the way

More lane restrictions in the Resort Corridor are on the way as work continues on the $305 million Interstate 15/Tropicana Avenue interchange project.

The first road impacts will be on I-15 southbound Wednesday and again on March 23, when the stretch between Harmon Avenue and Flamingo Road will be down to three lanes from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., the Nevada Department of Transportation announced Monday.

Then beginning on March 20 and running through April 20, I-15 northbound will be down to four lanes in each direction between Tropicana and Flamingo.

Those I-15 lane restrictions are needed for work on the half interchange at the Harmon bridge to begin.

“That half interchange will open to drivers before the beginning of Phase 3 of the I-15/Tropicana design build project,” NDOT spokesman Justin Hopkins said, “allowing for better ingress and egress to the Las Vegas Strip both during and after construction on Tropicana.”

Phase 3 of the I-15/Tropicana interchange project, that Hopkins noted as the planned opening time frame for the Harmon half interchange, is slated to begin in the fall.

The half interchange will allow drivers to access Harmon from I-15 southbound via a ramp to be built in the far left lane. Motorists will be able to enter I-15 northbound from Harmon as part of the half interchange.

Tropicana also will be completely shut to traffic overnight on March 21. That closure will take place between midnight and 5 a.m. on Tropicana between Dean Martin Drive and New York-New York. That closure is again needed to make enhancements to signage, signals and striping in the temporary diverging diamond interchange.

There was a similar closure late last month to make needed updates to the stretch, as drivers get familiar with the diverging diamond interchange.

NDOT created an instructional video earlier this month to help drivers understand how to navigate the weaving lane configuration that was put into place on the Tropicana bridge following the north half of the road being torn down. A similar road pattern will be in place once the new north portion is built and the south side of the bridge is torn down. Drivers will see some form of a diverging diamond interchange on Tropicana over I-15 through mid-2024.

Next week’s full closure of Tropicana is not the last one tied to the project, Hopkins noted.

“Most of the work is just refreshing the temporary striping and raised pavement markings,” Hopkins said. “We will likely need to close Tropicana every couple of months for enhancements.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.