Major milestones tied to the yearslong Interstate 15/Tropicana interchange project will begin to roll out toward the end of April.
The $382 million, three-year project, which kicked off in 2022, is winding down, and motorists will start to see long-shuttered on- and off-ramps reopened over the coming weeks.
The relief began earlier this month with the I-15 southbound to Tropicana eastbound flyover ramp reopened to traffic after being closed since 2022. With that, the traffic pattern on the Tropicana bridge returned to a standard flow, after being a diverging diamond interchange since 2022.
Heading into April, the next ramp that will reopen to traffic will excite Golden Knight fans as the NHL playoffs begin. The I-15 northbound off-ramp to Arena and Frank Sinatra drives will reopen toward the end of the month, according to Nevada Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland.
The crucial access point to T-Mobile Arena has been shuttered since 2022. As work winds down, nightly lane reductions on Frank Sinatra, with one lane open in each direction, will take place through April 11.
Moving into early May, the Tropicana off-ramp from I-15 southbound and the on-ramp from Tropicana to I-15 southbound will reopen to traffic.
Also slated to reopen in early May are the fifth lanes in both directions of I-15, which has been constricted to four lanes in each direction near Tropicana.
When that occurs, two overnight directional closures will take place to allow crews to restripe the road to open the lanes.
The exact dates of the reopenings were not yet available, as NDOT is still planning those, McFarland said.
Work on the project won’t be completed with the ramp openings.
In July, crews will need to repave the stretch of I-15 included in the project’s scope between Warm Springs and Flamingo roads. Crews will repave the section with crumb rubber paving that uses recycled tire rubber, which provides a smoother, quieter ride, and is less hard on vehicles’ tires.
Widening work on Tropicana west of I-15, between Polaris Avenue and Valley View Boulevard, will continue through the summer. The widened Tropicana bridge over I-15 won’t see the additional lanes go online until the widening work west of the structure is completed.
“While these major milestones will significantly improve traffic flow, the corridor won’t fully reflect the final product until aesthetic elements are completed, with that work continuing into the summer,” McFarland said.
The project also included the demolition of and rising of the Tropicana bridge over I-15, the construction of the high occupancy vehicle half-interchange at Harmon Avenue, and adding the new Joey Bishop Drive, which is eliminating the four-way intersection at Dean Martin and Tropicana. New dynamic messaging boards were also added to portions of I-15 as part of the project.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.