I-15 reopens to full capacity near Las Vegas resort corridor

A stretch of Interstate 15 near the resort corridor returned to full capacity Friday morning after over two years of lane restrictions.

I-15 between Hacienda and Harmon avenues is again five lanes in each direction after being limited to four in each direction since 2023 as part of the yearslong, $382 million I-15-Tropicana interchange project.

The reopening of the lanes occurred after back-to-back overnight directional closures of the freeway this week.

“Restoring I-15 to five lanes in each direction is a major milestone and a sign that we’re nearing the finish line on one of the most ambitious interchange rebuilds in Southern Nevada,” Nevada Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland said in a statement. “Crews completely reconstructed a critical interchange in the heart of Las Vegas while keeping traffic moving as much as possible.”

Reopening I-15 to full capacity is one of the last major milestones of the interchange project that kicked off in 2022.

The work included demolition and reconstruction of the Tropicana bridge to make it wider and taller, the addition of the Harmon high occupancy vehicle half interchange, the widening of the I-15 northbound off-ramp to Tropicana and building the new on-ramp from Tropicana to I-15 southbound.

Dean Martin Drive was also reconfigured as part of the project, with the addition of Joey Bishop Drive underneath Tropicana.

The move back to full capacity comes as the three-day Electric Daisy Carnival starts Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a week ahead of Memorial Day weekend.

“Opening all lanes on I-15 means drivers will start to see real relief, especially as we head into the busy summer travel season, Memorial Day weekend, and EDC,” McFarland said.

Work on the project remains before it is completed, with widening on Tropicana west of I-15 and continuing work on Dean Martin and Harmon near the freeway. Crews will also have to repave the stretch of I-15 and restripe it later this summer.

“While this is a huge step forward, construction continues on Tropicana Avenue, Dean Martin Drive, and Harmon Avenue, and one more round of I-15 paving closures are expected later this summer as we put the finishing touches on this massive infrastructure upgrade,” McFarland said.

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