Freeway restrictions tied to $305M I-15/Tropicana to be lifted by year’s end

As the summer begins the bulk of the work on the yearslong Interstate 15-Tropicana Avenue project will enter its final stretch.

Since March 2022 motorists’ commutes near the resort corridor have been significantly affected by the $305 million road project.

Work crews are on pace to complete the third of five phases this fall, which will remove most traffic restrictions on I-15 and over the Tropicana bridge.

New bridges are being built over Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives and the I-15 southbound flyover bridge to Tropicana eastbound will reopen. The flyover bridge has been shuttered since 2022 as crews reconstructed the decades-old bridge.

The Tropicana bridge over I-15 also will be completed this fall. The bridge was torn down in sections to be rebuilt higher above the freeway and to widen Tropicana.

Support beams for the Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra bridges soon will be constructed, which will provide visual progress of the project, said Kelsey McFarland, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Drivers should expect similar lane restrictions that are in place now throughout the summer, with I-15 down to four lanes in both directions between Hacienda Avenue and Sunset Road, she said.

At some point in the coming months, additional closures of portions of I-15 are expected as work winds down.

“That’s when paving work is going to be happening, but we’re still working on the details of when and how that will work,” McFarland said. “But this summer there will be some directional closures of I-15.”

Multiple full closures of sections of I-15 and Tropicana over the interstate have taken place as part of the project.

The diverging diamond interchange lane set up on Tropicana will be removed once work on widening the bridge is done.

A new on-ramp from Tropicana to I-15 southbound will also open in the fall as part of the finish of phase three, which will operate similarly to the previous on-ramp. The only difference is the new ramp will be located above Dean Martin, to allow for the reconfiguration of that road to occur in phase four.

When work shifts from phase three to phase four, the bulk of the traffic restrictions will shift to Dean Martin, as the road is reconfigured underneath the Tropicana bridge.

“The restrictions will be moving to phase four and a lot of those restrictions will mostly be on Dean Martin Drive,” McFarland said. “Once this is complete by late fall, that’s when drivers will start to see a lot more relief as far as restrictions on both Tropicana and I-15.”

The fourth phase of the project is scheduled to last through the summer of 2025.

Upcoming restrictions

A slew of ramp closures on I-15 and the 215 Beltway will occur this week as part of work on the project.

The I-15 northbound off-ramp to Las Vegas Boulevard and the I-15 northbound ramp to the 215 eastbound were closed at 9 p.m. Sunday and will remain shuttered until 5 a.m. Wednesday.

The 215 eastbound ramp to Las Vegas Boulevard and the I-15 southbound ramp to Las Vegas Boulevard were closed at 9 p.m. Sunday and will remain shuttered until 5 a.m. Friday.

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