News:

Thank you for your patience during the Forum downtime while we upgraded the software. Welcome back and see this thread for some new features and other changes to the forum.

Main Menu

I-15 Project Neon in Las Vegas

Started by roadfro, December 10, 2013, 12:51:16 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

mrsman

I know I'm dating myself here as I haven't been to LV in 20 years, but I love the control cities of Reno and Phoenix, long-distance well known cities.  (I believe in the old days of the stub US 95 freeway the controls were Henderson and Tonopah.)


US 89

Quote from: mrsman on November 25, 2018, 04:06:32 PM
I know I'm dating myself here as I haven't been to LV in 20 years, but I love the control cities of Reno and Phoenix, long-distance well known cities.  (I believe in the old days of the stub US 95 freeway the controls were Henderson and Tonopah.)

No love for Salt Lake City?  :-P




Quote from: roadfro on November 25, 2018, 02:31:59 PM
Quote from: SSR_317 on November 24, 2018, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: roadfro on November 21, 2018, 10:02:03 PM
I'm down in Vegas for Thanksgiving, and the drive to mom's house from the airport took me through Project Neon northbound briefly today. Didn't get to explore too much, but definitely apparent that they're closing in on the goal. It seems like they're mostly finished with the northbound I-15 widening, but still have middle HOV ramps and some southbound work to do on the 15.

Caught quickly on my phone a pic of what is now the biggest set of APLs in Nevada:  I-15 North approaching US-95. Noted on the right, US 95 North exit portion of the sign that (1) they left off the "Blvd" suffix from "Martin L King", and (2) they left room to add an I-11 shield.
This is a great example of why I DESPISE the APL signs, The whole thing is disproportional, the EXIT & ONLY panels look like an afterthought, and the destination names are far too tiny! And speaking of the EXIT & ONLY panels, WHY aren't they present for the option lane as well, since both destinations on that lane do not continue along the mainline of this freeway? EVERYTHING to the right of lane #3 is an EXIT ONLY lane and should be signed as such, IMHO. I understand why there may be a need for APL, but if this is the future then the future SUCKS!

I had the same thought about the option arrow, it should have the exit only panels. Although I can understand the reluctance to pu them on there with it being an option lane...

Despite what it might look like in the photo, the destination legend is the standard size used on all freeway signs in Nevada. I think the graininess of the photo and/or size of the sign is distorting it here.

Utah does sign that "exit-only", although I'm not sure I like the look of it:


Plutonic Panda


tdindy88

Quote from: US 89 on November 25, 2018, 04:34:13 PM
No love for Salt Lake City?  :-P

And Los Angeles, which I-15 does not got to. Not that it stops US 93 and Phoenix of course.

That Utah sign does make the Las Vegas sign look a lot better though. Speaking of these signs, it's been my observation that Las Vegas in the past had a very unique way of putting MLK's name on the highway signs, omitting the Jr. in the full name of the road. Now it appears they're omitting the Blvd part too.

roadfro

Quote from: mrsman on November 25, 2018, 04:06:32 PM
I know I'm dating myself here as I haven't been to LV in 20 years, but I love the control cities of Reno and Phoenix, long-distance well known cities.  (I believe in the old days of the stub US 95 freeway the controls were Henderson and Tonopah.)

The old signs on I-15 used to use "Henderson"  for southbound US 95 (I believe) and "Reno"  for northbound. Sometime around the signing of I-515 in the mid 90s, "Henderson"  was changed to "Phoenix" .

The few pull through signs on US 95 itself used to say "Phoenix / Needles"  for southbound and "Tonopah / Reno"  for northbound. These have been shortened to the current usage, presumably to eliminate excess message loading and use of lesser-known cities.

Quote from: tdindy88 on November 25, 2018, 04:58:15 PM
Speaking of these signs, it's been my observation that Las Vegas in the past had a very unique way of putting MLK's name on the highway signs, omitting the Jr. in the full name of the road. Now it appears they're omitting the Blvd part too.

Actually, I don't think our MLK Blvd in the Las Vegas Valley actually includes the "Jr"  in the official road name. It has never appeared on any signage and I have never seen it on a map.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

SSR_317

These APL signs are way too large and ugly. IMHO, the existing E11 series of black on yellow EXIT ONLY panels could be expanded, by vertically lengthening to allow them to being used with consistent sized black APL arrows on the yellow background. Then, use of the small add-on EXIT & ONLY panels intended originally for retrofits could be prohibited on new installations. This could clean up a lot of these signs and make them more compact, proportional, logical & legible.

compdude787

When it comes to APLs, the US really needs to take some cues from the Netherlands in how they do similar types of signs. For example, they don't always use the long straight arrow, but only when there's space. Also, when there's cases where there's two exit ramps close to each other, they do something like this: https://goo.gl/maps/XwqeERrTEHk It's a bit hard to explain in words, so that's why I linked to a picture. This example is on A4 just south of the interchange with A20 in Rotterdam. If you look around in GMSV on the Netherlands' freeways, you'll find plenty of APLs done right.

Oh, and there's no stupid "Exit Only" signage, which is really redundant on APLs. If a lane is shown with a right curve arrow (and not two arrows that split from one line), it's pretty obvious that it's exit only.

Sub-Urbanite

Quote from: roadfro on November 25, 2018, 05:50:04 PM
Quote from: mrsman on November 25, 2018, 04:06:32 PM
I know I'm dating myself here as I haven't been to LV in 20 years, but I love the control cities of Reno and Phoenix, long-distance well known cities.  (I believe in the old days of the stub US 95 freeway the controls were Henderson and Tonopah.)

The old signs on I-15 used to use "Henderson"  for southbound US 95 (I believe) and "Reno"  for northbound. Sometime around the signing of I-515 in the mid 90s, "Henderson"  was changed to "Phoenix" .


Pretty sure the only "Henderson" signs on BGS's were 1) On a vintage 1999 Henderson/Boulder City sign on NB I-15, and 2) On Flamingo at I-515. I think the old-school signs said Needles/Phoenix for SB and Tonopah/Reno for NB — Can't imagine they would have used Henderson since 1) Henderson was very small at the time, and 2) 515 didn't even reach Henderson until the early-to-mid 1990s.

roadfro

Quote from: Sub-Urbanite on December 13, 2018, 12:32:19 PM
Quote from: roadfro on November 25, 2018, 05:50:04 PM
Quote from: mrsman on November 25, 2018, 04:06:32 PM
I know I'm dating myself here as I haven't been to LV in 20 years, but I love the control cities of Reno and Phoenix, long-distance well known cities.  (I believe in the old days of the stub US 95 freeway the controls were Henderson and Tonopah.)

The old signs on I-15 used to use "Henderson"  for southbound US 95 (I believe) and "Reno"  for northbound. Sometime around the signing of I-515 in the mid 90s, "Henderson"  was changed to "Phoenix" .

Pretty sure the only "Henderson" signs on BGS's were 1) On a vintage 1999 Henderson/Boulder City sign on NB I-15, and 2) On Flamingo at I-515. I think the old-school signs said Needles/Phoenix for SB and Tonopah/Reno for NB — Can't imagine they would have used Henderson since 1) Henderson was very small at the time, and 2) 515 didn't even reach Henderson until the early-to-mid 1990s.

The old signs I'm talking about would have been ones in place prior to the reconstruction of the Spaghetti Bowl (which was completed circa 1999). The supplemental sign you mentioned on I-15 NB wasn't there before the reconstruction, and I have this recollection that Henderson was moved off the main signs for the supplemental sign when the construction finished. The I-515 freeway made it to Lake Mead Drive by 1990 and down to Railroad Pass by 1994 (which is when 515 was finally signed), but even before that, following US 93/95 freeway however far it existed (and then jutting over to Boulder Highway) was always the primary way to get to Henderson–the original EIS studies for that leg of US 95 freeway referred to the project as the "Henderson Spur".
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

Sub-Urbanite

Quote from: roadfro on December 13, 2018, 04:06:25 PM
The old signs I'm talking about would have been ones in place prior to the reconstruction of the Spaghetti Bowl (which was completed circa 1999). The supplemental sign you mentioned on I-15 NB wasn't there before the reconstruction, and I have this recollection that Henderson was moved off the main signs for the supplemental sign when the construction finished. The I-515 freeway made it to Lake Mead Drive by 1990 and down to Railroad Pass by 1994 (which is when 515 was finally signed), but even before that, following US 93/95 freeway however far it existed (and then jutting over to Boulder Highway) was always the primary way to get to Henderson–the original EIS studies for that leg of US 95 freeway referred to the project as the "Henderson Spur".

I am fairly certain that the old signs pre-1990s Spaghetti Bowl renovation said Downtown LV / Phoenix... because I remember writing to NDOT as a youthful road geek asking them to put up Henderson signs :)

roadfro

^Ah, yes. "Downtown LV" was on there for sure (still used on US 95 south pull-throughs approaching the bowl). I still don't remember "Phoenix" on there that long ago, but could be wrong.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.


roadfro

^ You beat me to posting that.


Work is 92% complete on Project Neon. The bulk of the remaining work includes completing the HOV flyover, the new HOV interchange serving Western Avenue/Grand Central Pkwy ("neon gateway"), I-15 northbound ramps at Charleston, and converting existing I-15's Express Lanes down to one general purpose lane and one HOV lane.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

Plutonic Panda

I'm anxious for this construction to be finished.

Wondering what the next major project is. Would be nice to see a revamped and expanded US 95/I-515 viaduct rebuild through downtown.

roadfro

An I-515/US 95 viaduct widening/rebuild and some concepts has been looked at a couple times. There are a couple interchange improvement concepts under consideration currently, but I'm not sure that this will be the next priority.

The next major NDOT project in the Vegas area is likely going to be the I-15/Tropicana Avenue interchange rebuild. The Tropicana bridge must be replaced to allow I-15 widening underneath, and due to height clearances the flyover will also need replacing. Given the proximity of the interchange to the Raiders stadium, this project has moved up in priority.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

Plutonic Panda

Aren't they building a new flyover to the stadium or perhaps that is wishful thinking... I'm surprised how fast that stadium is progressing.

skluth

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on January 20, 2019, 08:10:26 PM
Aren't they building a new flyover to the stadium or perhaps that is wishful thinking... I'm surprised how fast that stadium is progressing.

The stadium is progressing, in sharp contrast to the team that will eventually move there

roadfro

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on January 20, 2019, 08:10:26 PM
Aren't they building a new flyover to the stadium or perhaps that is wishful thinking... I'm surprised how fast that stadium is progressing.

There will not be any direct access to the stadium from I-15.

One gripe about the stadium is that it will be under-served with parking. I think they're expecting high amounts of people to arrive via walking (from nearby resorts, etc.), rideshare, and potentially buses/shuttles from outlying areas.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

MarkF

Raiders Stadium.  So that's what it was. I was wondering what this was when I went by there last month (15 south at Hacienda):


Mark68

Quote from: roadfro on January 26, 2019, 12:05:05 PM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on January 20, 2019, 08:10:26 PM
Aren't they building a new flyover to the stadium or perhaps that is wishful thinking... I'm surprised how fast that stadium is progressing.

There will not be any direct access to the stadium from I-15.

One gripe about the stadium is that it will be under-served with parking. I think they're expecting high amounts of people to arrive via walking (from nearby resorts, etc.), rideshare, and potentially buses/shuttles from outlying areas.

No direct access from I-15?

What could go wrong?
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."~Yogi Berra

Plutonic Panda

Quote from: roadfro on January 26, 2019, 12:05:05 PM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on January 20, 2019, 08:10:26 PM
Aren't they building a new flyover to the stadium or perhaps that is wishful thinking... I'm surprised how fast that stadium is progressing.

There will not be any direct access to the stadium from I-15.

One gripe about the stadium is that it will be under-served with parking. I think they're expecting high amounts of people to arrive via walking (from nearby resorts, etc.), rideshare, and potentially buses/shuttles from outlying areas.
That is a shortsighted move, IMO. The stadium is right off of I-15, they should have included direct access from the interstate.

roadfro

Article about the ATM (Active Traffic Management) signs being installed on I-15 & US 95 as part of Project Neon:

Las Vegas I-15 closures to be worth it when electronic signs go live, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/10/19
Quote
After enduring several full closures of parts of Interstate 15 for the installation of dozens of dynamic traffic signs, readers have inquired: "˜What are these ATM signs?"
<...>
A lot of the questions readers have concern how ATM signs differ from traffic signs currently in use around the valley.

Most signs on area freeways now show the time it will take to reach certain destinations, where a road closure or construction project is upcoming, or special messages ahead of a busy travel weekend, and most utilize one color.

There are different ATM sign types. Some have text and arrows. Others just have arrows. Different colors are available to point out lanes that are open (green) and lanes that are closed (red).

They are more sophisticated than the existing electronic signage. They can be programmed to inform motorists of lane closures and blockages, or changing speed limits, if needed.

Providing real-time information to motorists about detours, crashes and traffic restrictions, ATM signs enable lane closures to facilitate traffic flows around crashes.
<...>
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

bing101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYwwhELZhKw

Interstate Kyle does an update on the I-15 construction in his latest video.

roadfro

The grand finale of Project Neon approcheth...and early at that!

Project Neon wrapping up early in Las Vegas is cause to party, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 3/3/19
Quote
After almost three years of gridlock, confusion and road closures, the "grand finale"  of Project Neon, the largest public works project in Nevada history, is set to come early.

The nearly $1 billion 4-mile widening of Interstate 15 from the Spaghetti Bowl to Sahara Avenue is set for substantial completion May 16, a full two months ahead of schedule.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

roadfro

New US 95 to MLK offramp, two other Project Neon sections to open Monday, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/2/19

A few side ramps and bridges constructed as part of Project Neon will open Monday next week:
*The reconstructed/widened US 95 SB exit ramp to Martin L King Blvd.
*The new Charleston Blvd EB slip ramp to Martin L King Blvd.
*A new bridge connecting Industrial Road over the railroad tracks to Grand Central Pkwy just south of Charleston Blvd (a new north-south connection)

Project Neon's substantial completion date is set for May 13th.
Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.