I-515 - potential future improvements

[roadfro]

Reading the Las Vegas Review Journal's "Road Warrior" column from 11/27/2016 just now. It mentions potential upgrades to I-515/US 93/US 95 from downtown Las Vegas to Henderson.

Plans are underway to upgrade the entire 20-mile U.S. 95 corridor from the Spaghetti Bowl to an area just north of Railroad Pass in southeastern Henderson, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said. However, construction will depend on available funding.

"At present, the department lacks the financial resources"  to complete the upgrade all at once, Illia said. The work will likely be completed in piecemeal fashion, one segment at a time, after work on Project Neon wraps up in 2019.

Interestingly, NDOT did some studies about this potential project back in the mid-late 2000s. They were looking at widening out, as much as 5 lanes wide each way from the Spaghetti Bowl south to Charleston–with a potential local/express setup and a rehab/potential rebuild of the downtown viaduct section. There were also proposed new interchanges along the way–F Street/City Pkwy, Sahara Ave (eliminated in later iterations), Galleria Drive*, Auto Show Drive*, and the I-215/Lake Mead Pkwy system interchange*  (* eventually built in a separate project unrelated to this study).

Recommended alternatives were put made available online circa December 2009, but that's the last I've heard of this. The study website has long since been taken down. My thought was that NDOT shifted priorities elsewhere for a while–at least two major projects on I-15 and the early phases of far northwest US 95 improvements have completed since then, and I-15 Project Neon has recently begun actual construction phases (property acquisition has been ongoing for well over 5 years).

So it looks like I-515 will get some love once I-15 finally settles down... I've noted elsewhere that the I-515 freeway is the only major stretch of freeway in the Las Vegas Valley that hasn't seen major upgrades since original construction. The downtown viaduct (built in the mid 1980s) is sagging somewhat, and the downtown ramps are somewhat substandard compared to current NDOT designs.

Mention of this project also makes me wonder if NDOT is potentially eyeing I-515 as the future through-town alignment for I-11...

[The Ghostbuster]

I'm sure if I-515/US 93/US 95 does receive extensive upgrades, it is a surefire bet that all of existing 515 will become Interstate 11 (which would be my preference, even though I've never been to Las Vegas).

[coatimundi]

Was there ever an idea of putting I-11 on anything but I-515? Was CR 215 a possibility?

[roadfro]

Was there ever an idea of putting I-11 on anything but I-515? Was CR 215 a possibility?

Yes. Discussed in the I-11 thread, but among several potential alignments, the three under consideration are 515/95, a southern & western 215 option, and an eastern bypass/northern 215 option. I haven't heard about final selection--don't think the feasibility studies are done yet...

[coatimundi]

and an eastern bypass/northern 215 option

Wow, I thought that section had been altogether dropped. I had always heard it was going to be too expensive and have too much environmental impact.

[roadfro]

and an eastern bypass/northern 215 option

Wow, I thought that section had been altogether dropped. I had always heard it was going to be too expensive and have too much environmental impact.

It may have been dropped... Not sure, as I haven't scoured the I-11 site lately for updates.

[roadfro]

Apparently, I haven't been paying attention to the NDOT Programs/Studies webpage lately... Just found this: I-515 Alternatives Development Study

It mentions a study started in 2015 to examine alternatives to improve I-515 from I-15 to Charleston Blvd in the short-term (i.e. before 2025) that won't preclude potential long-term projects. From the range of potential improvements, the goal is to pick out up to three concepts to develop out into conceptual plans with environmental review and prioritize for future construction in 2017/2018 or beyond.

They're at the level 2 screening stage now, so some concepts have already been eliminated. But concepts still in the running (some of which are partially overlapping) include:

• City Parkway SB Ramp
  
• Las Vegas Blvd & Casino Center Blvd Interchange Improvements
  
• Eastern Ave Interchange Improvements (including one-way frontage road, Eastern to Mojave)
  
• SB Lane Drop Elimination at I-15 Underpass; providing full SB auxiliary lane to Charleston (partial widening downtown/striping with reduced shoulders to Charleston)
  
• Pecos Road Roundabout Interchange
  
• Braided Ramps/CD Road from Las Vegas Blvd to I-15 in NB direction
  Of these, I think the NB braided ramps/CD road has the most utility. It would rework the most substandard on-ramps with short weaves. (It's really awful merging on from Casino Center/4th Street if you're stopped at the ramp meter, as you have a very short distance to get up to speed and merge over to get out of the lane drop to I-15 south.) Also, just with the volumes that exist at Eastern, the interchange improvements there make sense.
  
  I'm intrigued by the roundabout interchange at Pecos. It's an interesting concept, because it incorporates I-515 ramps into the existing intersection of Pecos Road & Stewart Avenue, and seems to at least somewhat integrate ramps with the nearby Charleston Blvd interchange. It also might be useful in relieving pressure on the Eastern & Charleston interchanges...
  
  
  EDIT: Looks like some of the earlier proposed improvements for the Charleston Blvd interchange that didn't make it to round 2 might be incorporated into a separate improvement project for that interchange: I-515/Charleston Blvd Interchange Environmental Assessment

[roadfro]

BUMP for update...  Apparently, part of this study's proposed improvements near downtown will be moving forward in the not-too-distant future...

The oldest section of I-515 (née US 95) in downtown Las Vegas is in the early planning stages for upgrades, as part of what is currently being touted as the "Downtown Access" project.


Road project would reconstruct US 95 in downtown Las Vegas, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/18/19

<...>
The Downtown Access project, aimed at rebuilding a stretch of the U.S. Highway 95 viaduct, or elevated road, built in the 1960s, is in the early planning stages, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Plans call for reconstruction of the 1.5-mile portion of U.S. 95 between Martin Luther King Boulevard to just east of Las Vegas Boulevard, including demolition and replacement of the bridge between Fourth Street and the Union Pacific railroad tracks, just west of Main Street, Transportation Department spokesman Tony Illia said.
<...>
The project also calls for the addition of lanes on U.S. 95, creation of a City Parkway high-occupancy-vehicle exit and construction of ramps to improve access to downtown.
<...>
Looking to break ground on the project in 2021, department officials said it was too early to determine a project cost or timeline.

No project webpage is available yet, so I couldn't find more specifics.