I-15/Tropicana interchange rebuild

[Kniwt]

Mod Note: Original thread title was "$190 million plan to rebuild I-15/Tropicana interchange". Changed it on 7/28/2022 because (1) the plan has turned into reality, with construction underway in 2022, and (2) the project scope expanded and cost has ballooned north of $300M. –Roadfro


The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/locals-get-first-look-plans-i-15-tropicana-avenue-intersection

The public got its first look at the $190 million I-15-Tropicana Avenue Interchange proposal at a public open house meeting Tuesday at the Hampton Inn Event Center on Dean Martin Drive.

... The number of vehicles on I-15 near the Tropicana overpass is expected to increase from 245,000 vehicles a day in 2014 to 295,000 vehicles a day by 2035, thanks in part to the new traffic generator in the neighborhood, the arena being built by MGM Resorts International and AEG Live. Volume also is expected to climb on the narrow Tropicana bridge by 48 percent.

... – Onramps and offramps will be expanded.
– Triple-left-turn lanes will be built at signaled intersections.
– The northbound frontage collector-distributor road entrance to I-15 will be lengthened.
– A bridge will be added for Dean Martin Drive traffic to pass beneath Tropicana.
– The entire Tropicana bridge over I-15 will be lengthened to meet height and width clearances.
– The existing flyover ramp will be replaced to meet height and width clearances.

[roadfro]

The Tropicana Avenue bridge is one of the last 60's era bridges crossing over I-15 left in the Las Vegas area. Nearly all others have been reconstructed through interchange or bigger projects in the last 20 years. It's the last bridge with 3 sets of support columns, which constrains widening of the freeway and frontage roads underneath.

Another aspect of this is the replacement of the southbound flyover ramp. This was the first of the flyover ramps on I-15, and one of the first two three-level ramps in the state.

[Sub-Urbanite]

$190 million on one freeway interchange. Mildly shocking.

[roadfro]

$190 million on one freeway interchange. Mildly shocking.

It's a complete rebuild of one bridge over 10+ lanes of interstate, extended C/D roads, a new bridge over a parallel arterial (replacing a signalized intersection), and replacing a p probably 1/4-mile 2-lane flyover which won't meet height clearances when the main bridge is replaced (since the current bridge doesn't meet height standards over the interstate). It's kinda involved...

[Rothman]

$190 million on one freeway interchange. Mildly shocking.

Why?  Sounds cheap to me.

[andy3175]

The Tropicana Avenue bridge is one of the last 60's era bridges crossing over I-15 left in the Las Vegas area. Nearly all others have been reconstructed through interchange or bigger projects in the last 20 years. It's the last bridge with 3 sets of support columns, which constrains widening of the freeway and frontage roads underneath.

I had no idea that this bridge was that old. Is there a source that provides the year of installation for bridges along Interstate 15 (or any other grade separation on Nevada's state highway system), such as a bridge log?

[roadfro]

The Tropicana Avenue bridge is one of the last 60's era bridges crossing over I-15 left in the Las Vegas area. Nearly all others have been reconstructed through interchange or bigger projects in the last 20 years. It's the last bridge with 3 sets of support columns, which constrains widening of the freeway and frontage roads underneath.

I had no idea that this bridge was that old. Is there a source that provides the year of installation for bridges along Interstate 15 (or any other grade separation on Nevada's state highway system), such as a bridge log?

No, there's not a definitive, publicly-available NDOT reference to bridges in Nevada (at least nothing akin to the Caltrans Bridge Log). My comment just comes from observation of bridge construction technique and knowledge of past construction projects in the area. Without looking at other sources to confirm, I'm fairly sure the Tropicana bridge dates to original construction of I-15 through Las Vegas.

Note that I mentioned this is one of the last 60's bridges with the arterial crossing *over* I-15. There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

[andy3175]

There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

With all the work done on the I-15 and US 95 interchange, it is surprising to consider that the actual mainline I-15 bridge over US 95 is original.

[roadfro]

BUMP

The Tropicana interchange rebuild is now closer to $200M, and won't be done until 2024...a couple years after the new Raiders stadium opens.

Road project near Las Vegas Raiders stadium won't be done until 2024, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/2/19

The $200 million Interstate 15/Tropicana Avenue interchange project is slated to get underway sometime in 2021, with the 26-month construction timeline leading to the project's likely completion in 2024, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation. There is an outside chance the project could finish in sometime in late 2023, but for that to occur everything in the process must go right, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.

That timetable means the Tropicana Avenue interchange project won't get underway until at least a year after the $1.8 billion, 65,000-seat stadium project is complete, and the Raiders and UNLV begin playing their home football games there.
<...>
The interchange project calls for reconstruction, including a diamond on- and off-ramp configuration with a flyover at Tropicana Avenue.

The project was modified to include high occupancy vehicle lanes to ramps to and from the south of the I-15/Harmon Avenue overpass. The location of the HOV lane ramps was altered to remove one that had been planned at Hacienda Avenue, after MGM Resorts International and stadium developers expressed concerns about that location. The original HOV ramp plans were developed before the stadium project came to life.

NDOT originally had plans to make HOV only exits at both Harmon and Hacienda, but has eliminated the HOV exit at Hacienda as that street will be closed on game days to facilitate pedestrian access to the stadium from the Strip.

[roadfro]

Another article with similar information. This project is projected to start in 2021 and complete in 2024.

Tropicana, I-15 interchange work to help flow near Las Vegas stadium, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/3/2019

New info to me in the article was the 10-foot sidewalks on Tropicana and a new pedestrian connection on the north side of Tropicana down to Frank Sinatra that will provide another walking path to T-Mobile Arena.


The article also mentioned an unrelated project: The Valley View Blvd/Harmon Ave connector project over the UPRR. These two major arterials have been discontinuous since their intersecting point is crossed by the UPRR. There has been a proposed project to bridge the railroad and connect the two streets for well over a decade. This article mentions that project has (finally) begun construction. The future Harmon/I-15 HOV exit will enhance that connection.

[Occidental Tourist]

Another article with similar information. This project is projected to start in 2021 and complete in 2024.

Tropicana, I-15 interchange work to help flow near Las Vegas stadium, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/3/2019

New info to me in the article was the 10-foot sidewalks on Tropicana and a new pedestrian connection on the north side of Tropicana down to Frank Sinatra that will provide another walking path to T-Mobile Arena.


The article also mentioned an unrelated project: The Valley View Blvd/Harmon Ave connector project over the UPRR. These two major arterials have been discontinuous since their intersecting point is crossed by the UPRR. There has been a proposed project to bridge the railroad and connect the two streets for well over a decade. This article mentions that project has (finally) begun construction. The future Harmon/I-15 HOV exit will enhance that connection.

Is the linked article an example of the poor state of journalism, the result of some misinformation from NDOT, or both?  The article starts with the false claim that the Tropicana interchange hasn't had a major upgrade since it was built in the 60s.  Since it was originally built, it has undergone the following:
Two major widenings, which resulted in three additional bridge decks being built;
The addition of the flyover for the south to east movement;
Reconfigurations of the on and off ramps to accommodate Frank Sinatra Drive and what would become Arena Drive, and the creation of a bridge support wall to create a new northbound off ramp lane for Arena Drive;
The excavation and building of the overpass of Frank Sinatra Drive just east of the main interchange.

[sprjus4]

The Tropicana Avenue bridge is one of the last 60's era bridges crossing over I-15 left in the Las Vegas area. Nearly all others have been reconstructed through interchange or bigger projects in the last 20 years. It's the last bridge with 3 sets of support columns, which constrains widening of the freeway and frontage roads underneath.

I had no idea that this bridge was that old. Is there a source that provides the year of installation for bridges along Interstate 15 (or any other grade separation on Nevada's state highway system), such as a bridge log?

Bumping this... but the Tropicana Ave bridge over I-15 was constructed in 1964 as per bridgereports.com

http://bridgereports.com/nv/clark/exhibit/

[roadfro]

Another article with similar information. This project is projected to start in 2021 and complete in 2024.

Tropicana, I-15 interchange work to help flow near Las Vegas stadium, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/3/2019

New info to me in the article was the 10-foot sidewalks on Tropicana and a new pedestrian connection on the north side of Tropicana down to Frank Sinatra that will provide another walking path to T-Mobile Arena.

Is the linked article an example of the poor state of journalism, the result of some misinformation from NDOT, or both?  The article starts with the false claim that the Tropicana interchange hasn't had a major upgrade since it was built in the 60s.  Since it was originally built, it has undergone the following:
Two major widenings, which resulted in three additional bridge decks being built;
The addition of the flyover for the south to east movement;
Reconfigurations of the on and off ramps to accommodate Frank Sinatra Drive and what would become Arena Drive, and the creation of a bridge support wall to create a new northbound off ramp lane for Arena Drive;
The excavation and building of the overpass of Frank Sinatra Drive just east of the main interchange.

I'd lean more towards misinformation.

It appears the original bridge was widened on both outer edges, concurrent with the construction of the south-to-east flyover–Historic Aerials shows both under construction in 1991. That's the only Tropicana bridge widening I could find. And that project appears to be the only major modification to the interchange since original construction in the 1960s.

The construction of Frank Sinatra Drive (somewhere between 2000-2004) did result in minor modifications within the interchange area. Namely, overpasses being constructed under Tropicana (to accommodate the new roadway) and under the NB on-ramp (to accommodate the new NB slip ramp exit to Frank Sinatra). This didn't have any significant impact to operations of the I-15/Tropicana interchange itself, other than the WB right turn to NB I-15 changing from a one-lane sweeping turn to a two-lane tighter NRTOR (a capacity increase likely only implemented because of the new Frank Sinatra bridge necessitated reconfiguring the turn).

[Plutonic Panda]

Update for this project:

The Tropicana Avenue-Interstate 15 interchange inched closer this week to becoming a reality.

The final public meeting for the project was held Tuesday by the Nevada Department of Transportation at the Hampton Inn Events Center to address the draft environmental assessment of the project.

Slated to get underway in 2021, it will be the first major upgrade to the Tropicana-I-15 interchange since it was built in the 1960s. It is aimed at improving traffic flow and helping the valley's large event complexes.

The $200 million project's scope includes I-15 between Russell and Flamingo roads and Tropicana between Las Vegas Boulevard and Valley View Boulevard. The area serves as a gateway to the Strip, T-Mobile Arena and the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium under construction for the Raiders.

- https://www.reviewjournal.com/traffic/i-15-tropicana-interchange-at-stadium-moves-closer-to-reality-1897336/?fbclid=IwAR0acrlHxqvOlz7fMjrf1GyQtDhGc5sovg716UJYreGrWLV-OR0lxO5kht8

On a somewhat related note(detailed in the article), I was unaware of the Valley View Extension. It's bitter sweet to me. On one end this is needed as an alternative and I'll certainly use it. On the other id like to see passenger rail return to Vegas and this route is needed. As part of that I would like to see this stretch of rail trenched within the next decade to allow for a steady flow of freight and passenger trains yet traffic flow maintained. Doing this would also allow for dozens of local streets to be connected. I know it would be an expansive undertaking and one behind some other needed projects, none the less. I am happy with this development however.

[X99]

Were any other interchange alternatives ever considered, like an SPUI or a DDI with the southbound-to-eastbound flyover? I can't find an IMJR anywhere.

[roadfro]

On a somewhat related note(detailed in the article), I was unaware of the Valley View Extension. It's bitter sweet to me. On one end this is needed as an alternative and I'll certainly use it. On the other id like to see passenger rail return to Vegas and this route is needed. As part of that I would like to see this stretch of rail trenched within the next decade to allow for a steady flow of freight and passenger trains yet traffic flow maintained. Doing this would also allow for dozens of local streets to be connected. I know it would be an expansive undertaking and one behind some other needed projects, none the less. I am happy with this development however.

The Valley View/Harmon connection at the tracks has been proposed for nearly 20 years. I think Clark County was closer to building it about a decade ago before the recession hit, and they prioritized construction needs elsewhere.

There is no need to trench the main railroad line. At this point, most major streets in the Las Vegas Valley that intersect the railroad tracks already feature grade separation. Most cases where a street is discontinuous at the railroad tracks are found in the southwest valley, where the railroad came first and nearby development hasn't caught up enough to have the road network built out for a crossing.

[roadfro]

Intentional bump

The Tropicana interchange rebuild has grown in cost since this thread started several years ago, but it has recently grown in cost even more since two other neighboring projects are being rolled into it to reduce administrative overhead.

Big interchange project near Allegiant Stadium grows in cost, Las Vegas Review-Journal 2/7/2021

The planned overhaul of the Tropicana Avenue-Interstate 15 interchange near Allegiant Stadium has seen two new features added and its price increased.

Originally pegged at up to $230 million, the project's price tag has grown to $273 million, of which $243 million is tied to construction on the project, according to Tony Illia, Nevada Department of Transportation spokesman.

Part of the increase is tied to adding a $30 million project that was already in the works – repaving I-15 between Warm Springs Road and Hacienda Avenue – to the Tropicana overhaul. Illia said this will save the state money in the long run by not having to carry out the project separately at a later time.
<...>
The other addition is upgrading the sewer lines under Tropicana within the project's scope. The work is for the Clark County Water Reclamation District, which will pay for the project's costs.
<...>
As part of the project, 10 more active traffic management signs are planned to be installed on I-15 between Russell Road and the 215 Beltway, which will help with event traffic to Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena.
<...>
With the timeline calling for construction to take at least 26 months, the project's earliest anticipated completion would be mid-2024. If Las Vegas is awarded the Super Bowl that year, as it's rumored to be a possible site, construction would be occurring during the major event.
<...>

Also likely new since the project was originally envisioned is the deployment of additional ATM signs, adding more signs southward from where the first signs were installed along I-15 during Project Neon. Given this project and the recently-announced grant to install more on US 95, it seems like the first deployment of ATM signage has been met with success and NDOT/RTC want to see this system expanded.

It's too bad this project wasn't queued up a little bit earlier to take advantage of the reduced traffic flows during the pandemic, especially given that the Raiders (and excepting one or two games, UNLV) played their seasons at Allegiant Stadium without spectators. While the stadium itself is closer to Russell Road than Tropicana Ave, Tropicana will be a major access point and the project area will encompass the Russell interchange also. Access is going to be a bit problematic for a while on stadium event days as things open back up.

[roadfro]

Intentional Bump

The project cost has now escalated to over $300M. The project had experienced delays because nearby landowner Station Casinos expressed concerns with the design hindering access to their property where they eventually plan to build a big casino, but that's been worked out now. A contractor has been selected, and construction should get underway next year.

Contractor, design OK'd for $305M I-15/Tropicana interchange project, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/8/2021. (paywall, if free article limit reached)

After a month of meetings, Station Casinos representatives and transportation officials came to an agreement Monday on plans for a $305 million rebuild of the Interstate 15-Tropicana Avenue interchange.

As a result, the Nevada Board of Transportation unanimously approved the design and awarded the contract for the massive road improvement project to Kiewit Infrastructure West.
<...>
Station Casino executives initially expressed concern with the signalized intersection [Tropicana Ave & Dean Martin Dr] not being included in the project. However, after meeting with officials from NDOT and Kiewit, they agreed to keeping that aspect out of the project.

The two sides did agree on eight additions to the plan to suit Station's needs for the future use of approximately 100 acres it owns where the Wild Wild West property sits now, on the northwest corner of Tropicana and Dean Martin. Station tentatively plans to build a mega resort on the site.
<...>
None of the additions are expected to impact the project's timeline. It is expected to get underway sometime next year, with completion expected at the end of 2024. That also means $50 million in federal funding earmarked for the project will not be impacted; state officials had worried that a substantial change to the design could lead to a delay in the project.

[roadfro]

Going back to address a post from a few years ago.

There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

With all the work done on the I-15 and US 95 interchange, it is surprising to consider that the actual mainline I-15 bridge over US 95 is original.

Those original construction bridges on I-15 over Charleston and US 95 (and also likely the Alta/Bonneville overcrossing in between) have all since been reconstructed, which took place during the massive rebuild that was Project Neon. The Tropicana bridge is likely the only I-15 original construction era bridge remaining within the urban limits of the Las Vegas Valley.

[Sub-Urbanite]

Going back to address a post from a few years ago.

There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

With all the work done on the I-15 and US 95 interchange, it is surprising to consider that the actual mainline I-15 bridge over US 95 is original.

Those original construction bridges on I-15 over Charleston and US 95 (and also likely the Alta/Bonneville overcrossing in between) have all since been reconstructed, which took place during the massive rebuild that was Project Neon. The Tropicana bridge is likely the only I-15 original construction era bridge remaining within the urban limits of the Las Vegas Valley.

Oh, but no! Craig Road, Speedway Boulevard, Owens and Carey avenues are all OG, I think. Definitely Speedway Boulevard at a minimum.

[roadfro]

Going back to address a post from a few years ago.

There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

With all the work done on the I-15 and US 95 interchange, it is surprising to consider that the actual mainline I-15 bridge over US 95 is original.

Those original construction bridges on I-15 over Charleston and US 95 (and also likely the Alta/Bonneville overcrossing in between) have all since been reconstructed, which took place during the massive rebuild that was Project Neon. The Tropicana bridge is likely the only I-15 original construction era bridge remaining within the urban limits of the Las Vegas Valley.

Oh, but no! Craig Road, Speedway Boulevard, Owens and Carey avenues are all OG, I think. Definitely Speedway Boulevard at a minimum.

I'm going to stand mostly corrected. The Craig and Carey bridges do appear to be originals–I thought they had both been reconstructed with the I-15 north widening in the early 2000's, but perhaps not. Owens Ave is steel girder construction, which suggests a later vintage if not reconstructed during that same project (and entirely possible given the central sections of I-15 closer in to downtown core were constructed later). Didn't think about Speedway Blvd since that interchange has only existed since the mid 1990's, but a road and bridges at that location do appear to date back to I-15 construction according to what I could glean from Historic Aerials.

[Sub-Urbanite]

Going back to address a post from a few years ago.

There are similarly aged bridges where I-15 is on top going over the arterial road, which I think also believe are original to the freeway construction without major widening or modification: two are the Charleston Blvd/SR 159 and US 95 overcrossings.

With all the work done on the I-15 and US 95 interchange, it is surprising to consider that the actual mainline I-15 bridge over US 95 is original.

Those original construction bridges on I-15 over Charleston and US 95 (and also likely the Alta/Bonneville overcrossing in between) have all since been reconstructed, which took place during the massive rebuild that was Project Neon. The Tropicana bridge is likely the only I-15 original construction era bridge remaining within the urban limits of the Las Vegas Valley.

Oh, but no! Craig Road, Speedway Boulevard, Owens and Carey avenues are all OG, I think. Definitely Speedway Boulevard at a minimum.

I'm going to stand mostly corrected. The Craig and Carey bridges do appear to be originals–I thought they had both been reconstructed with the I-15 north widening in the early 2000's, but perhaps not. Owens Ave is steel girder construction, which suggests a later vintage if not reconstructed during that same project (and entirely possible given the central sections of I-15 closer in to downtown core were constructed later). Didn't think about Speedway Blvd since that interchange has only existed since the mid 1990's, but a road and bridges at that location do appear to date back to I-15 construction according to what I could glean from Historic Aerials.

With Speedway, yeah, they actually just used an existing bridge there for that interchange when they opened LVMS. Not sure if it was a railroad spur, or an access road for Nellis, but someone needed a bridge there in the late 60s...

Two things led me to think Owens is original: The historic aerials match, and if you look at historic Street View, it looks like the bridge has been painted but not replaced.

[Plutonic Panda]

Update:

https://www.equipmentworld.com/better-roads/article/15286418/las-vegas-prepares-for-tropicana-ave-i15-interchange-rebuild

[andy3175]

More on the 15/Tropicana interchange reconstruction... https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/major-road-construction-project-to-begin-on-tropicana-i-15/amp/

(Article is not terribly new but adds a bit more information about the project.)

The $305 million project will widen Tropicana between Polaris Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. Due to construction, at some point during the summer, there will be full closure of Tropicana and the I-15 which could last several days.

Nevada Department of Transportation is working to do that closure so it doesn't impact any major events at the T-Mobile or Allegiant stadiums. ...

One goal of the project is to solve the backups caused by a high density of stoplights on Tropicana leading to the I-15, specifically at Dean Martin Drive next to the In-N-Out restaurant. That stoplight will be removed.

The project is planned for completion in November 2024.

Official project page... https://www.dot.nv.gov/projects-programs/road-projects/i-15-tropicana-project

[Plutonic Panda]

They really should initiate a planning study to determine the feasibility of turning Frank Sinatra Dr. And Dean Martin Dr. Texas style one way frontage roads with multiple turn arounds. Traffic can get horrendous on Frank Sinatra drive sometimes. Not sure how this would be done though but it would be a blessing.