I-15/Tropicana project rolls into 2025 with costlier price tag, new planned road

As the new year rolls near, work on the yearslong Interstate 15-Tropicana Avenue project will continue into 2025 with an increased cost.

The originally estimated $305 million project has ballooned to $385 million, according to Nevada Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland. The 26 percent increase in price is associated with additional change orders tied to the project.

“Change orders are modifications to the original scope of work to accommodate unforeseen needs or specific requests,” McFarland said. “We added several enhancements to the project to address new priorities that emerged after construction began.”

The project is primarily being financed with a mix of state and federal resources, including a $50 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant awarded to the project in 2020.

What work remains?

Impacts on mainline I-15 were originally scheduled to be lifted by the end of 2024, but multiple factors led to that being pushed to March.

“The timeline shifted due to unforeseen utility coordination challenges, as aligning schedules with multiple utility agencies proved complex,” McFarland said. “Additionally, major events such as Formula 1 and the Super Bowl required full-site shutdowns, further impacting the timeline.”

Crews must first finish the remaining work being done on I-15.

That includes:

■ Finishing the reconstruction of bridges over I-15, Frank Sinatra Drive and Dean Martin Drive

■ Constructing the I-15 northbound off-ramp to Tropicana/Frank Sinatra, a popular route for fans attending events at T-Mobile Arena

■ Completing the I-15 southbound flyover ramp to Tropicana eastbound, which will reopen to traffic after being shut down when the project began in 2022

■ Widening the south side of Tropicana over I-15

■ Completing sewer work, elevated sidewalk installation, painting, lighting, and aesthetics

Dean Martin Drive/Joey Bishop Drive

Reconfiguration of the Tropicana and Dean Martin intersection and the adding of a new portion of the road to be named Joey Bishop Drive also are planned.

Dean Martin Drive will be reconfigured starting in January and is slated for completion by February 2025. Traffic will be routed onto the new Joey Bishop Drive starting early next year to maintain access to Dean Martin during the work.

Dean Martin will be routed under Tropicana, eliminating the need to pass through the intersection near In-N-Out burger. Once that occurs, the new portion that runs underneath Tropicana will be named for Joey Bishop, while Dean Martin will run in a similar fashion as the current setup, but the signalized intersection will no longer be in place at the Tropicana intersection. Instead, there will be a median added at the Dean Martin/Tropicana intersection, so those looking to travel north/south to and from Allegiant Stadium would be better off using the Joey Bishop extension.

“Joey Bishop is essentially the reconfigured Dean Martin,” McFarland said. “Dean Martin will be geometrically the same. The Dean Martin/Tropicana intersection will be the primary change of Dean Martin.”

Tropicana will be widened between Polaris Avenue and Valley View Drive beginning in February, with that work planned to last through fall of next year.

Work on the Tropicana bridge over I-15 won’t be fully completed until later next year, but once Dean Martin is reconfigured, Tropicana will no longer have the diverging diamond interchange configuration that has been in place for the past two years.

“The project is slated for full completion in late 2025,” McFarland said. “When finished, it will have taken approximately 3.5 years of construction.”

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