NDOT to discuss plans to relieve traffic near Raiders stadium

The Nevada Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting Tuesday to discuss improvements along Interstate 15 that are expected to help relieve traffic congestion near the Raiders stadium site.

The meeting is set for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Clark County Development Services Center, 4701 W. Russell Road.

Just as the Raiders prepare to kick off in 2020, construction is scheduled to simultaneously start on a reconfiguration of the Tropicana Avenue interchange with a new flyover ramp at I-15.

Crews would simultaneously work on a separate project that calls for building direct-access ramps to connect a new carpool lane on I-15 to Harmon and Hacienda avenues.

Environmental and engineering studies are underway for both projects, NDOT officials said.

NDOT officials are considering whether to sell bonds to pay for those projects, estimated at $200 million. Investors would be repaid with money generated by a fuel revenue index tax approved by Clark County voters in November 2016.

Restructuring the Tropicana interchange and building HOV ramps for Hacienda and Harmon were outlined in a report released in October 2016 that recommended at least $899 million in high-priced Las Vegas freeway improvements be fast-tracked to accommodate the Raiders stadium.

The carpool exit-ramp project was originally supposed to be built in 2035, but the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s board of directors agreed earlier this month to place it on a list of accelerated road improvements.

NDOT officials said the improvements were always part of a long-range plan for the region because the overpass bridge at Tropicana Avenue lacks sufficient clearance over I-15, and there is not enough width for future freeway expansions.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.