When will temporarily removed I-15 HOV lanes near Strip return?

A stretch of high occupancy vehicle lanes on Interstate 15 near the Strip will not reopen as such until later this year after being taken offline last year during a yearslong road project. Plans were initially to reopen a stretch of HOV lanes between Russell and Flamingo roads that were taken offline in October 2024 to allow for better traffic flow when lane restrictions were in place during the project after the two weekend repaving events on I-15, but that has since changed, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The Russell to Flamingo portion is part of a 9-mile stretch of HOV lanes taken offline tied to the I-15-Tropicana and I-15 South widening projects. The HOV lanes were converted to general purpose lanes and will remain that way until both I-15 projects wrap up to ensure for a smoother return of the carpool lanes.

“We plan to open the HOV lanes on the I-15 Tropicana project once the I-15 South widening project is complete later this year,” NDOT spokeswoman Kamber Davoren said in an email. “This coordinated approach allows us to ensure a seamless experience for drivers by opening the entire HOV corridor at once, rather than in disconnected segments. We’re actively responding to evolving construction schedules to ensure the system functions efficiently and safely from day one.”

The $81 million I-15 South project is heading down the final stretch, as crews finalize work that includes widening I-15 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. Bridge resurfacing, new sound walls and intelligent transportation systems installation are also part of the project’s scope.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

The I-15/Tropicana project is also winding down and is planned for completion in the fall, with the majority of the remaining work tied to the project consisting of widening Tropicana west of the interstate.

If Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony had his way, the HOV lanes would not return along the stretch of I-15 and would be removed entirely from the Las Vegas Valley. Anthony, a Republican, is in the midst of a yearslong push to eliminate carpool lanes in the valley, as he deems them useless and said the lanes would serve traffic better as general-purpose lanes.

Anthony called for a two-year-long study last year, looking at what, if any, impacts there would be if HOV lanes were eliminated. The study has one year left on it, and at that point there should be some clarity to whether Anthony will be successful in removing carpool lanes on stretches of I-15 and Interstate 11, formerly known as U.S. Highway 95.

“My hope is a year from now we’ll have this study done, and we can go to the federal government and basically tell them HOV lanes are useless,” Anthony told the Review-Journal this month.

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