Another I-15 widening project in the works for south valley

Don’t look now, but as one Interstate 15 improvement project will be moving toward completion, another one is set to begin in the same vicinity.

The planned $74 million, 9-mile upgrade of I-15 from Sloan Road south of Las Vegas to Warm Springs Road is slated to begin next summer. The project is aimed at addressing the quickly growing areas near the South Point and the M Resort and further south. The Raiders headquarters, new housing developments and two Amazon facilities are located there with other major projects in the works.

“NDOT recognizes the south valley is booming with businesses and housing developments,” NDOT spokesman Justin Hopkins said. “Southern Highlands, West Henderson, and the area headed toward Jean are all expected to see continued growth for years to come, and NDOT wants to increase local mobility and access while enhancing I-15’s operational efficiency. We also anticipate this project will aid in improving travel-time reliability for drivers through the south valley.”

NDOT is hosting public meetings both in person and online to gather feedback on design plans for the project.

“Your comments and participation regarding this nearly 9-mile corridor provide NDOT a valuable resource when considering the final aspects of the design,” Hopkins said.

The in-person public meeting on Nov. 2 will feature an open house format from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with a formal presentation at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Hyatt Las Vegas at Silverton Village, 8380 Dean Martin Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89139.

The virtual meeting will be available 24 hours a day through 5 p.m. Nov. 10. on the project’s website: www.dot.nv.gov/i15SouthProject.

Included in the project is widening I-15 from six to eight general-purpose lanes between Sloan and St. Rose Parkway, widening and restriping I-15 from six to 10 general-purpose lanes between St. Rose Parkway and Blue Diamond Road and adding a High Occupancy Vehicle lane in each direction between St. Rose Parkway and Blue Diamond Road.

The addition of the HOV lanes would bring the Las Vegas Valley’s total to 28 continuous miles of carpool lanes between I-15 and U.S. Highway 95.

Adding sound walls near residential areas throughout the corridor and resurfacing bridges and pavement at the Blue Diamond interchange are also included in the project.

Construction is expected to take two year to complete, pegging the completion date for summer 2025. That means this project will intersect with the last year-and-a-half of work on the $305 million I-15/Tropicana Interchange project, which is underway and scheduled for substantial completion at the end of 2024.

Work left to occur while the I-15 south project is set to begin includes demolition and reconstruction of the Tropicana bridge over I-15, to be carried out in two sections; construction of the Tropicana bridge over Dean Martin; and partial reconstruction of the I-15 southbound to Tropicana eastbound flyover bridge.

Having the two projects occur at the same time was considered when the timeline for the I-15 South Project was developed.

“NDOT always considers how each project could impact other work underway across the valley,” Hopkins said. “We are confident the I-15 South Project is compatible with other work being done on I-15.”

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