Finish of U.S. 95-Charleston project raises hopes for motorists

Motorists in east Las Vegas can probably expect an easier commute after the completion of the U.S. Highway 95-Charleston Boulevard interchange project, officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. 95 freeway ramps at Charleston were widened as part of the two-year, $99 million project, with an auxiliary lane added on both sides of the highway between Charleston and Eastern Avenue. The addition of the auxiliary lanes required the widening for three bridges along the freeway.

The freeway’s northbound off-ramp to Eastern also was widened as part of the project.

The project, a collaboration among Las Vegas, Clark County and NDOT, is expected to alleviate the backups on U.S. 95 and Charleston that were routinely seen before the project.

“A big part of it was the backlog to get on the freeway and off the freeway at this intersection,” said Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony after a Wednesday ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the substantial completion of the project. “It got backed up pretty bad because there weren’t enough lanes, it was just a mess. People were stuck here (Charleston westbound at U.S. 95) for 20 minutes just trying to get on the freeway and that is not the case anymore.”

Charleston between Honolulu Street and Sacramento Drive was widened and reconstructed, with sidewalks around the interchange also expanded.

Aside from the road improvements, the project included art elements to spruce up the look of the interchange, including a larger installation featuring figures dancing around a ribbon. Crews added improved LED lighting on Charleston and installed high mast lighting on U.S. 95 near the interchange.

New sound walls were added along Charleston to reduce noise for those living near the freeway interchange.

The project’s completion also will help those who use UNLV’s Counseling Adult Psychiatry and Mental Health clinic, which has been located on Charleston, just east of U.S. 95, for 32 years, according to Alison Netski, vice dean of clinical affairs for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine.

“(The U.S. 95-Charleston) project has really been critical for allowing patients to have easier access to our services,” Netski said. “A lot of our clients use the bus services and they walk up and down this sidewalk everyday. We are so appreciative that their experience has been taken into account.”

Crews also strived to ease traffic issues associated with the project’s construction as best they could, NDOT Director Tracy Larkin Thomason said.

“Throughout the process our team worked diligently to ensure minimal disruption to traffic, even though if you were driving through it at the time it didn’t seem that way,” Larkin Thomason said.

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