Yet another I-15 road project planned for stretch north of Las Vegas

Motorists traveling on Interstate 15 from Las Vegas toward Utah will see yet another road project slated to disrupt traffic along the busy route.

Crews are beginning work Monday on northbound I-15, which will see the addition of a climbing lane on the interstate between milepost 82 and milepost 83.5, which is just south of Glendale, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced last week. The project is slated to take 200 days to complete.

The purpose of the project is to streamline traffic flow for all motorists on northbound I-15.

“The newly integrated truck climbing lane will serve as a designated passage for general purpose traffic, enabling faster traversal past trucks and other slower-moving vehicles,” NDOT spokesman Justin Hopkins said in a statement. “ Additionally, the project encompasses the extension of existing drainage facilities and the embankment for widening, facilitating the creation of the inside lane.”

As part of the project, the department will correct drainage erosion on the exterior of the northbound I-15 to further the safety and sustainability of the road.

The climbing lane project begins as two other road projects are occurring and one has recently been completed on I-15 between Las Vegas and Utah.

NDOT is carrying out a widening project on an 11-mile stretch of I-15 from Speedway Boulevard to the U.S. Highway 93 Garnet interchange. The project, which kicked off last summer and slated for completion early next year, will widen the interstate from two to three travel lanes in each direction.

The $71.5 million project is the third and final leg of widening the I-15 north corridor. The first two portions included expanding I-15 between the Spaghetti Bowl and Speedway Boulevard. Those two phases totaled nearly $276 million, wrapping up in 2010 and 2018 respectively.

Farther north is a 29-mile stretch of I-15 that runs through Arizona on the route that connects Nevada and Utah.

The Virgin River Bridge No. 1 replacement project began in early 2021 and is slated to wrap up in spring of 2024, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

“The main impact of the Virgin River Bridge No. 1 project is a lane closure in each direction through the work zone,” said ADOT spokesman Steve Elliott. “This can result in delays depending on traffic volume.”

There are no other closures or detours planned at this time related to the bridge work, Elliott noted. ADOT will maintain at least one lane in each direction throughout the project.

Once completed the new bridge will enhance safety and ensure the regional corridor is able to continue carrying commerce on the route highly traveled by semi-trucks.

The scope of the work includes replacing the abutment foundations, piers and the deck of the bridge. Crews also will repave the stretch and add new pavement markings, guardrail and signage.

Although multiple areas of road construction between Las Vegas and Utah are ongoing, the good news is that one project is now complete.

The $1 million Black Rock Road Bridge project between Littlefield, Arizona, and St. George, Utah, which kicked off in January, wrapped up in the spring, according to ADOT.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.