NDOT seeking feedback on $335M Henderson Spaghetti Bowl revamp project

The Henderson interchange where U.S. Highway 95, the 215 Beltway and Lake Mead Parkway converge is set for an estimated $335 million revamp and the Nevada Department of Transportation is looking for public feedback before shovels hit the ground.

Also known as the Henderson Spaghetti Bowl, the interchange was completed in 2006 and in the years since, the population in Clark County has boomed and so has the traffic. There were about 1.5 million people in the Las Vegas Valley when the interchange was completed 16 years ago while Clark County now sits at 2.3 million residents.

On average in 2020 about 191,000 vehicles traveled through the interchange daily. That number is expected to increase by 51 percent to 289,000 by 2040, according to NDOT.

NDOT is conducting a month-long virtual public hearing on the project on its website tied to its environmental assessment. NDOT will also host an in-person meeting June 23 at Lifeguard Arena in downtown Henderson.

The meeting will be focused on the environmental analysis for the project. That evaluates any potential environmental impacts that may occur as a result of planned improvements.

“It’s required per NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) that we reach out to the public and get feedback,” said David Bowers, NDOT project manager said. “We take into account everybody’s concerns and opinions before the final environmental analysis is completed.”

The project’s scope includes Lake Mead Parkway/215 Beltway from Van Wagenen Street to Valle Verde Drive and U.S. 95 between Galleria and Horizon drives.

Work on the project is anticipated to begin toward the end of 2024 and last until the end of 2026, Bowers said.

The project will be a design-build option, allowing work to begin before the project is fully designed. At the moment design is at 15 percent complete; once it reaches about 70 percent, work can begin. The design-builder will be chosen once the project is 30 percent designed.

The revamp will address traffic volume and safety aspects, with design issues updated to mitigate crashes and associated travel delays within the project’s scope.

A crossover interchange is being considered for the area, which would be unique as there are only two other versions of the road project in the U.S. — one in the Baltimore area and one in Alabama.

“The highway is anticipated to cross-over in the eastbound and westbound directions, which would then allow access to ramps for the northbound and southbound highways without large flyovers that are typically seen in system-to-system interchanges,” Bowers said.

Access to both Gibson Road and Auto Show Drive from U.S. 95 will be restored with this new design, Bowers noted. Access to those roads was eliminated during a 2019 restriping project.

“Cars were coming off Lake Mead where it turns into the 215 and trying to move over three lanes onto the Gibson ramp and had to cross traffic that was at higher speeds,” Bowers said. “It was a high crash site. For the safety of the public we closed off that access. Now with this new project we’re going to add direct access from Lake Mead without any problem.”

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