8 streets in downtown Las Vegas to be closed for a month as test run

Eight surface streets in downtown Las Vegas will be closed to traffic for over a month as a test run for a planned road project that could exceed $1 billion.

The temporary closures that began Monday and run through April 12 include Seventh, Eighth, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 19th and 21st streets at U.S. Highway 95, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced Monday.

The streets will be partially closed from March 8 to 28 and will be fully closed from March 29 to April 12.

“There are three design alternatives being evaluated, and each of these streets are proposed for possible closure,” said Tony Illia, NDOT spokesman. “Fourth Street is only proposed to close as part of the project’s recessed design alternative, so it will not be shut down during these temporary closures.”

Additionally, 15th and 21st streets are proposed as bicycle/pedestrian crossings.

The streets in the test run could be permanently closed as part of the planned Downtown Access Project. The temporary closures are aimed at providing area residents and businesses a chance to see how the new street configurations work first and an opportunity to provide feedback and voice concerns.

Project signage will direct those in the area to visit the project website at www.ndotdap.com or call the community feedback line at 702-938-5440. A brief survey is available on the website in both English and Spanish.

Project plans

The Downtown Access Project would reconfigure a 4-mile portion of U.S. 95, including possibly replacing or removing a 1.6-mile viaduct — a long bridge-like structure carrying a roadway — fixing on- and off-ramps located too close together and introducing new high-occupancy vehicle interchanges.

The project will expand freeway capacity on U.S. 95 in the area from eight lanes to 12, which would result in the centerline of the freeway between Las Vegas Boulevard and Eastern Avenue being moved 50 feet to the north.

Initial plans also call for braided ramps between Interstate 15 and U.S. 95 and the construction of new HOV interchanges at City and Maryland parkways.

Depending on which option is chosen, the project’s cost could exceed $1 billion.

The project would be the first update to the U.S. 95 viaduct since it was built in the 1960s. The update would include the demolition or replacement of the bridge between Eighth Street and the Union Pacific railroad tracks, just west of Main Street.

Early estimates call for the project to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2031.

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