Brightline station infrastructure work to reduce lanes on Las Vegas Boulevard

Lane closures on Las Vegas Boulevard south of the resort corridor are coming as Brightline West carries out infrastructure improvements tied to its planned Las Vegas train station.

The work began last week when crews removed the center median on Las Vegas Boulevard between Robindale Road and Eldorado Lane to allow for lane shifts on the road.

A lane reduction is planned on Las Vegas Boulevard between Robindale and Warm Springs roads starting Monday and lasting for three weeks as crews begin construction on a box culvert and sewer line improvements near the Brightline station site. During that time, 24-hour lane shifts will be in place along the stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard.

All northbound lanes will remain open, but southbound lanes will be reduced from three lanes to two as crews install a new storm drain connection under Las Vegas Boulevard and realign an existing sewer line near the station site.

“These improvements are critical to supporting the future Las Vegas Station and related infrastructure,” Brightline said in an email.

Minor traffic delays are anticipated along the stretch as crews carry out the work, according to Brightline.

Crews began grading Brightline West’s site to prep for the box culvert and sewer line work in July.

Geotechnical work has been occurring for over a year along Interstate 15 in Nevada and California. The rail line will be built and operated in the median and along the shoulder of the freeway.

Brightline plans to construct a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California, with stations planned for other California cities along the route. Riders will be able to reach downtown Los Angeles by transferring to the existing Metrolink passenger rail system at the Rancho Cucamonga station.

The price of the long-discussed project recently ballooned to $21.05 billion — a $9 billion jump from the previously touted $12 billion mark.

Brightline applied for a $6 billion loan from the federal government in early October. The project already has a $3 billion grant from the Federal Railroad Administration and this year sold a total of $2.5 billion in private activity bonds from both Nevada and California.

Work on the planned 218-mile Brightline West rail line is expected to kick off early next year, Nevada Department of Transportation director Tracy Larkin Thomason said in September. The latest projection has the high-speed rail line completed in 2029.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.