Tired of 1-15 road projects in Las Vegas? They’re coming to an end

Interstate 15 has a slew of road projects occurring on the busy highway, from north of Las Vegas to the south valley and in between.

The trio of projects include the I-15-Tropicana Interchange, and the two I-15 North and I-15 South widening projects concurrently taking place.

The good news is two of those three projects are nearing completion with the third hitting the halfway mark.

Once the three projects are completed and on top of multiple previous projects — including the $1 billion Project Neon, which was completed in 2019 — on I-15 dating back to 2010, a total of $1.8 billion worth of work will have been done on the busy highway.

Here’s where the three major road projects affecting traffic stand.

I-15-Tropicana

Work on the $382 million I-15-Tropicana Interchange project is heading down the final stretch.

The project kicked off in summer 2022 and is planned to stretch into later this year.

Traffic-related issues on mainline I-15, which have been affecting traffic for nearly three years, are planned to be lifted in April. At that time the Tropicana on-ramps to I-15 and the flyover ramp from I-15 southbound to Tropicana eastbound also are planned to reopen.

The new Dean Martin and Joey Bishop drives reconfiguration is planned to open to traffic sometime in the spring. That new configuration will see the four-way intersection at Dean Martin and Tropicana eliminated, with streamlined north-south travel now available via Joey Bishop Drive, which opened earlier this month.

Widening work tied to the project on Tropicana west of I-15 will continue into late 2025.

Other work on the project included adding lanes on the Tropicana bridge over I-15, installing new dynamic messaging boards and pavement rehabilitation between Warm Springs and Flamingo roads, adding the high occupancy vehicle half-interchange at Harmon Avenue.

The Nevada Department of Transportation told the Review-Journal in December that the project’s budget had risen to $385 million. That figure was an error, according to NDOT, with project’s total cost being tabbed at $382 million. That total includes the $305 million contract and $77 million in internal costs, which include engineering, right-of-way acquisitions and construction engineering, which “are standard NDOT expenses associated with managing and delivering a project of this scale,” NDOT spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland said.

I-15 north

The $71.5 million widening of I-15 between Speedway Boulevard and the U.S. Highway 93 Garnet Interchange, near Apex, is about done.

The project is 90 percent complete, with final paving, lighting and intelligent transportation system infrastructure and landscape and aesthetic improvements remaining.

When the project is completed, I-15 along the stretch will be widened from four lanes to six.

The widening project marks the third and final expansion of the I-15 north corridor. The two previous widening projects totaled $276 million and added lanes to I-15 from the Spaghetti Bowl to Speedway. The first two phases were completed in 2010 and 2018.

I-15 south

The $86 million I-15 south widening project between Sloan Road and Blue Diamond Road is about 50 percent complete, according to McFarland.

Crews are working on adding new sound walls, intelligent transportation system infrastructure, grading and paving stretches of the road.

Once complete, I-15 will be widened from six to eight general-purpose lanes between Sloan Road and St. Rose Parkway and from six to 11 general-purpose lanes between St. Rose Parkway and Blue Diamond Road.

Work on the project also includes resurfacing bridges and pavement preservation at the Blue Diamond Interchange and constructing six new sound walls near select areas throughout the corridor.

The project began in January 2024 and is planned for completion by January 2026.

Next up

Upgrades to I-15 won’t end with the completion of the trio of ongoing projects.

The next portion set to be widened is the stretch between Flamingo Road and Sahara Avenue, known as the I-15 Central Corridor. An environmental study along the corridor kicked off in spring 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2028, according to McFarland.

From there NDOT can finalize the design, develop a budget and eventually begin construction.

There is no timetable for when work on I-15 between Flamingo and Sahara could begin.

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