LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Commuters who travel along Interstate 15 North and South, as well as east and westbound Tropicana, will see some major traffic changes in the coming days.
It's all due to phase two of the Nevada Department of Transportation's I-15 Tropicana Project, which will replace a nearly 60-year-old bridge, overpass and ramps.
KTNV spoke with NDOT's Justin Hopkins to find out exactly how this next phase will impact commuters.
"We called it 'Dropicana,' because we're dropping and taking down several different structures," Hopkins said. "So, half of the Tropicana Avenue Bridge over I-15 is coming down."
The removal of the Tropicana Avenue bridge will close down east and westbound lanes for eight days, starting on Tuesday, Jan.17.
"We're also taking down about half of the flyover that goes from southbound I-15 to eastbound Tropicana," Hopkins added. "That's the big flyover that you take when you're heading down to Las Vegas Boulevard, to the Strip and all the resorts."
Here's a timeline of what drivers can expect:
- On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the I-15 southbound ramps to Tropicana east and westbound will close.
"The westbound ramp will be closed for nine months, while the eastbound flyover is going to be closed for 18 months while we rebuild the flyovers," Hopkins said.
- On Sunday, Jan. 22, crews will begin closing Tropicana Avenue in both directions from Dean Martin Drive to New York New York (the road just west of New York-New York Hotel & Casino) until Jan. 30.
This closure will force drivers to find a way around the construction — specifically, drivers who are a part of the bustling service industry on the Las Vegas Strip.
"Folks who use southbound I-15 to get to either the businesses or some of the great resorts on Tropicana, they're gonna have to find a new way to get down there for the long term," Hopkins said.
The biggest impact on traffic will happen on Jan. 27, when crews will begin a full closure of I-15 North and South that will last nearly three days, beginning Friday, Jan. 27 night at 10 p.m.
I-15 will be closed from Flamingo Road in the north to Russell Road in the South. Both directions are on schedule to reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 30.
Suggested detours would be to take I-15 North to the I-215 western beltway to get to Summerlin Parkway, Centennial Hills or Aliante. Commuters can also take I-15 to the I-215 eastern beltway to US-95 to get to downtown and North Las Vegas.
For real-time traffic updates, visit ktnv.com/traffic.
