I-15, Tropicana full closures planned for this week near the Strip

The next major phase of the multiyear Interstate 15-Tropicana Avenue project will begin Wednesday, with major traffic implications involved, including a full closure of I-15 over the weekend.

Between 9 p.m. Wednesday through 5 a.m. the following Tuesday, Tropicana will be closed between Dean Martin Drive and New York-New York, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation. Crews will be removing the temporary lane expansion added for Super Bowl week.

The diverging diamond interchange setup, which has been in place for over a year, will be restored to the bridge, with two travel lanes in each direction.

Traffic volume on the Tropicana overpass was temporarily expanded for Super Bowl weekend, with three travel lanes in each direction between Feb. 1 and Wednesday. That allowed for better traffic flow between the Allegiant Stadium campus and the resort corridor, especially on Super Bowl Sunday.

“Regardless who the winner is (of the Super Bowl), our win is that … the Tropicana project was not the focus of any news story, and we will take the little win,” NDOT Director Tracy Larkin Thomason said Monday during the department board of directors meeting.

Closures planned

All I-15-Tropicana freeway ramps will also be closed during the work, and I-15 will be shut down to traffic in both directions over the weekend.

The freeway closure is set from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday on both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-15 between Flamingo and Russell Roads. The closure is needed so crews can bring down the southern half of the Tropicana bridge.

“It’s a marathon weekend,” Thomason said. “We’re trying to reduce as much as possible the length of time we’re impacting both I-15 and Tropicana. But this also marks the kicking off of Phase 3 of the I-15-Tropicana project.”

Last year, the northern half of the Tropicana bridge was demolished during a weekend closure of the interstate. It has since been rebuilt and is where traffic will be diverted while work on the southern half occurs.

NDOT worked with California, Utah and Arizona departments of transportation to help spread the message of the planned closure, so motorists can plan ahead, Thomason said.

Potential north-south detours include the following, split up by location to the west or east of I-15:

— West of I-15 includes: Buffalo Drive; Rainbow Boulevard and Jones Boulevard.

— Decatur Boulevard is also an option, but another road project is taking place on that roadway north of the 215 Beltway in the vicinity of the I-15-Tropicana project.

— East of I-15 includes: The airport connector tunnel, Paradise Road, Eastern Avenue and Pecos Road.

— Las Vegas Boulevard is also an option, but that stretch of road is not recommended by officials, as the road is usually busy with Strip employees and visitors.

Ramp closures tied to this weekend’s I-15 closure include:

— Flamingo on-ramp to I-15 southbound.

— I-15 Harmon Avenue drop ramps.

— I-15 ramps at Tropicana.

— I-15 access to Arena Drive near T-Mobile Arena.

— Russell on-ramp from I-15 northbound.

— 215 Beltway ramps to I-15 northbound.

— Las Vegas Boulevard on-ramp to I-15 northbound.

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