The orange cones are seemingly everywhere. Anyone who has driven the city’s freeways or tourist corridor in recent months is keenly aware of them—reducing multiple lanes to few, redirecting traffic into unexpected detours or blocking off sections of roadway that no longer exist.
It almost feels like a prank, all these streets and highways undergoing improvements at the same time. But according to representatives of the agencies doing the work, it’s just an extraordinary bout of coincidence, precipitated by explosive Valley population growth, long-needed infrastructure replacement and the upcoming Formula 1 race.
“We do appreciate everyone’s frustration. We’re all living in it together,” says John Peñuelas, director of engineering services–streets and highways at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTCSN). “I live in Boulder City and come in on the 515, where there’s median work going on, so there are cones and lane restrictions there. Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has a project they’re working on in Summerlin, and obviously there’s the Tropicana work on I-15. So, there’s no way into the Valley, really, without going through a work zone.
“But the overall level of cones on the roadways is—just based on my experience of being in this position for eight years—really not any more than it has been any other year. It’s just in bad spots,” he says. “And there’s a lot going on at one time, because of the time pressure.”
Navigating these pain points takes some doing, both in terms of driving and determining the scope of the work. There are three different entities currently out there digging trenches and laying down asphalt. Here are progress reports from all of them, with descriptions of the work being done and, more importantly, when they expect it to be completed.
Formula 1 Track Construction
With a race set to take place November 16-18, the Formula 1 Grand Prix paving project—overseen by Formula 1 itself, in cooperation with Clark County—is the most time-critical project on the list. It involves pavement replacement on tourist corridor roads and track construction to loop around a new race paddock and the MSG Sphere, and it will affect traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard and several adjacent roads well into September.
That said, judging from the final track paving schedule, the most disruptive parts of the project should be done by early August. Work on much of the Sands Avenue/Las Vegas Boulevard leg—from the looks of things, the track’s sharpest turn—is scheduled to be completed by July 21. Work on the Strip straightway, past Caesars, Horseshoe, Bellagio and so on, is targeted to end on July 28.
Paving of the Harmon Avenue section, from the Strip to Koval Lane, is scheduled to conclude August 6. Work on Koval Lane—located roughly between the F1 paddock site at Harmon and Koval, and the southeastern face of the MSG Sphere—is set to end August 18. And the Sphere section, which circles the big ball before rejoining Sands Avenue, completes the paving project with an end date of September 15.
Work will start and stop on those sites throughout the summer, so it’s best to avoid those streets entirely. But if you can’t, remember that Waze is your friend.
NDOT: Freeway Improvements
Let’s start with the elephant in the road: The I-15/Tropicana Interchange project, which has recently added painful minutes to the northbound I-15 rush hour commute, will be a fact of life until early 2025. But the sheer amount of stuff that the Nevada Department of Transportation will fix with this work seems worth the trouble: Tropicana Avenue widened from six lanes to eight between Polaris Avenue and the Strip; more left turn lanes for freeway entrances; added capability for widening I-15; a realignment of Dean Martin Drive that will pass under Tropicana without stopping; a widened offramp to Arena Drive and more. We just need to tap the brakes for a while to get there.
Work on I-515 (aka U.S. 93) is a bit further along. It’s a multifaceted project that includes lane surface replacement, widening of Charleston Boulevard at I-515 and the addition of extra lanes at the “Charleston curve” that should relieve the problematic congestion that builds up at that north-to-west turn. The I-515 project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2024.
Other NDOT freeway projects include ongoing work on the Centennial Bowl interchange, connecting U.S. 95 to the 215 Beltway, due for completion in early 2024; overnight repaving of I-15, between the Spaghetti Bowl and Craig Road, concluding this December; the widening of I-15 north, from Speedway Boulevard to the Great Basin Highway interchange, estimated for completion in April 2024; and various improvements to Summerlin Parkway, which should be completed by August.
RTCSN: Street Improvements
The RTC has been improving Vegas’ surface roads, little by little, for years. Its process typically includes widening, repaving and replacing outdated utility lines and traffic signals; improving pedestrian accessibility; creating bus turnouts; adding new lighting and landscaping and so on.
That process continues around the Valley, in too many individual locations to name here. But some projects stand out. Charleston Boulevard is undergoing major work between Maryland Parkway and Boulder Highway—sewer, utilities, new pavement, the works—and will be reduced to a few lanes through the end of the year. And the Charleston Boulevard Medical District project, located adjacent to University Medical Center and UNLV’s new medical school, will bring widened sidewalks, intelligent streetlights and other improvements for drivers and pedestrians alike; it wraps in December 2024.
The rehabilitation of Las Vegas Boulevard’s Downtown stretch—from Sahara Avenue to Stewart Avenue—also continues, with a targeted completion date of June 2024. Many parts of the project are completed, including fresh-paved roadway and restored neon signs added to the median.
And the RTC is making a Valleywide effort to improve pedestrian crossings—work that includes the construction of curb extensions, ADA ramps and new crosswalk markings. If you’re slowed by one of these project sites, just grip the wheel more tightly and try to remember that everything has an end, even this superbloom of orange cones.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
