Tropicana, I-15 interchange upgrade project kicks off

Motorists beware: Work on a $305 million project to completely rebuild the Tropicana-Interstate 15 interchange kicked off Tuesday.

Various dignitaries including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Gov. Steve Sisolak, and Nevada Department of Transportation Director Kristina Swallow attended a news conference Tuesday morning at Allegiant Stadium kicking off the three-year-long project.

Plans call for the Tropicana interchange to be rebuilt, creating a diamond onramp and offramp configuration. The project is estimated to be substantially completed at the end of 2024, with full project close-out slated for mid-2025.

The project will be carried out in four main phases, with work that will interrupt traffic on I-15 starting in July.

Work began Tuesday on the Harmon Avenue channel drainage box that will accommodate future I-15 widening. Lane impacts associated with this phase include Dean Martin Drive north of Tropicana and Tropicana between Dean Martin and Polaris Avenue.

Of the $305 million project cost, $230 million derives from the state budget and will be mainly paid for through fuel tax. Another $50 million comes from a federal grant awarded in 2020 and $25 million from the federal infrastructure bill passed last year.

“(NDOT) frankly didn’t wait for solutions to come from Washington, to get the ball rolling to lay the literal ground work so now that we have been able to deliver this infrastructure investment and jobs acts, Nevada is poised to take such quick and effective advantage of those dollars,” Buttigieg said.

The project is expected to create about 4,600 temporary construction jobs.

Needed upgrade

As part of the project, the Tropicana bridge will be widened and raised four feet, with the flyover ramp from I-15 southbound above it being partially reconstructed and raised as well.

“The bridge is already over 60 years old, it’s been hit multiple times and it’s congested,” Swallow said. “Not just underneath the bridge (on I-15) but on Tropicana itself. And we have safety considerations and concerns. … We’re going to be replacing the infrastructure that’s already beyond its useful service life.”

Dean Martin Drive will be reconfigured to go underneath the Tropicana freeway ramps, removing a traffic signal at the intersection near the In-N-Out restaurant. Circular roads will be added to maintain access to the northwest and southwest quadrants.

Sidewalks on Tropicana over I-15 will be expanded from 5 feet to 10 feet, and a pedestrian walkway will be added from the north side of Tropicana down to Frank Sinatra Drive, aiding pedestrian access to T-Mobile Arena.

Plans also call for high occupancy vehicle lane drop ramps at the Harmon Avenue bridge. The drop ramps will be added going from I-15 northbound to Harmon Avenue and from Harmon to I-15 southbound.

These are being built ahead of the reconstruction of the Tropicana bridge, which will result in major closures of freeway ramps at Tropicana.

Major work

The major traffic disruptions tied to the project are slated to begin in early 2023 with the start of phase two.

This phase will include demolishing the I-15 bridge over Tropicana and reconstructing the flyover ramp from I-15 southbound to Tropicana. The I-15 flyover ramp to eastbound Tropicana will be closed for about a year as part of the project. Access to I-15 northbound from Tropicana will also be eliminated for nine months as part of this phase.

The third phase continues the upgrades with the south side of the Tropicana bridge over Dean Martin and I-15 set for demolition. Crews will also reconstruct the bridges over I-15, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

“We know that we’ll have at times full closures of I-15 in order to take down the bridge or to install portions of it,” Swallow said. “We’re going to have closures, we know it’s going to happen but the only way that we can build an interchange that is going to work in the future is start now and endure that bit of pain, recognizing in the end that it’s going to be worth it.”

The final phase includes reconstructing Dean Martin Drive at the Tropicana bridge to improve the north-south traffic between Harmon and the area south of the Tropicana bridge.

High impact area

Since the intersection is a main feeder into the south Strip, T-Mobile Arena and Allegiant Stadium, officials said addressing the interchange that was built in the 1960s is an important step to keep traffic flowing.

“This interchange is the access point to the world renowned Las Vegas Strip for tourists and many of our residents commuting to and from work,” Sisolak said. “This is the gateway to the entertainment and sports capital of the world.”

The project occur as multiple events take place at Allegiant Stadium and on the Strip. There are Formula 1 races planned for November 2023 and 2024 and the Super Bowl is set to be held at Allegiant Stadium in February 2024.

The potential impacts to traffic during those events and the daily impacts to the already busy I-15 during weekday rush hours will be worth it in the long run, Sisolak said.

“I don’t look at it as a headache, I look at it as an opportunity,” Sisolak said. “This is going to make transportation better, safer and more convenient. Will there be some minor inconveniences for a couple of years? Absolutely. Anybody that’s gone to a UNLV or Raiders game or a Knights game, knows the congestion that we have down here. I think the short term sacrifice for the long term gain is going to be something that we’re all happy with.”

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