‘Dropicana’ to bring traffic headaches to I-15, Tropicana

Major traffic disruptions will soon be “dropped” on area motorists when some of the most impactful work tied to the $305 million renovation of the Interstate 15/Tropicana interchange gets underway.

Dubbed “Dropicana” by the Nevada Department of Transportation, a slew of work around I-15 and Tropicana Avenue starting in early January will create traffic havoc around the area for months.

Crews will demolish and rebuild the north portion of Tropicana, or the current eastbound lanes over I-15 and Frank Sinatra Drive. Additionally, much of the flyover ramp from I-15 southbound to Tropicana eastbound will be torn down and reconstructed.

“The demolition of both bridges is necessary so that Tropicana Ave. can be widened and raised to add capacity and increase safety,” NDOT spokesman Justin Hopkins said in a statement.

The work begins Jan. 17 with the I-15 southbound offramps to Tropicana east- and westbound closing to traffic for prolonged periods of time.

The ramp to Tropicana westbound is to be closed for nine months, while the flyover ramp to Tropicana eastbound will close for 18 months.

Between Jan. 22 and Jan. 30, Tropicana will close in both directions between Dean Martin and the New York-New York.

That work will be followed by a full closure of I-15 in both directions at Tropicana, starting at 10 p.m. Jan. 27 and lasting through 5 a.m. Jan. 30, to bring down the north portion of the Tropicana bridge over the interstate.

Associated ramp closures during this work period include the Russell Road onramp to I-15 northbound; the Flamingo Road onramp to I-15 northbound; the I-15 southbound and northbound ramps to Tropicana east and westbound; I-15 northbound access to Arena Drive; and the Tropicana onramp to I-15 northbound.

The I-15/Tropicana interchange project kicked off in May and is expected to last until early 2025.

“Located at the heart of the resort corridor, the I-15/Tropicana Avenue interchange serves as the gateway to the Las Vegas Strip,” Hopkins said. “The combination of new resorts and professional sports teams and venues has attracted more visitors to the city, drawing as many as 300,000 visitors on major holiday weekends. The widening of the Tropicana interchange will add capacity, improve accessibility to the Strip and allow for the future widening of I-15 as the population continues to grow.”

Improvements associated with the entire project include:

— Widening Tropicana from three lanes to four in each direction.

— Expanding left turn lanes from Tropicana to I-15 from two to three lanes.

— Establishing a new HOV half-interchange on the south side of the Harmon Avenue bridge.

— Realigning Dean Martin under Tropicana, eliminating the traffic light at Tropicana for improved traffic flow.

— Increasing the exit to Frank Sinatra Drive to two lanes.

— Adding new dynamic messaging boards on I-15 between Warm Springs Road and Tropicana.

— Adding a pedestrian walkway between Tropicana and Arena Drive, where T-Mobile Arena is located.

“This project will provide more efficient traffic flow in and around the Tropicana interchange, improved travel time reliability on I-15 and Tropicana, enhanced safety for motors and pedestrians, improved air quality, and easier access to and from the resort corridor,” Hopkins said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.