I-15 Central Corridor
NEPA Study Project
Nevada Department of Transportation
About the NEPA Study
I-15 is the primary transportation corridor in southern Nevada connecting to California and Arizona. As a part of the I-15 Central Corridor Project, NDOT is evaluating potential improvements to address a congested segment along Interstate 15 within the resort corridor area.
Over the past three decades, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), in partnership with FHWA, has been making investments in improvements to I-15 to keep up with the growth in the Las Vegas area.
The existing I-15 Central Corridor (between the Project Neon and I-15 South Design-Build project footprint) only accommodates five through lanes in each direction, while future traffic demands are expected to further impact I-15 traffic operations within this segment.
A Feasibility Study was conducted by NDOT to identify alternatives primarily focused on improving the safety and traffic operations in addition to right-of-way needs necessary to accommodate future traffic demands. These alternatives were presented to the public during a virtual public meeting period in 2021.
Currently, NDOT and FHWA are continuing to evaluate improvements through a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis within this corridor. NDOT has initiated this NEPA study project to further develop and refine improvements that will meet the needs for the I-15 corridor and enhancing the corridor for the future.
Project Background
In 2008, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) embarked on the I-15 South Design-Build project, which widened the freeway between Blue Diamond Road and Tropicana Avenue. A subsequent endeavor, completed in 2019, Project Neon, which widened I-15 between the Spaghetti Bowl and Sahara Avenue.
The I-15 Central Corridor, from Flamingo to Sahara, will connect these two projects. This portion of I-15 is the last section to be upgraded adjacent to the Resort Corridor (the Strip).
The I-15 Flamingo to Sahara Feasibility Study (now known as I-15 Central Corridor) was completed in August 2021 and the project is now undergoing environmental studies pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Previous Studies
NDOT has looked at possible options to improve I-15 Central Corridor.
Completed in August 2021, the Feasibility Study demonstrated the need for roadway improvements within the corridor and illustrates the identified design alternatives that NDOT plans to study during this NEPA phase.
The Feasibility Study compared the practicality of roadway improvements that are known to improve roadway operations (addition of lanes, reconfiguring interchanges, optimizing operations). The Feasibility Study objectively evaluated improvements and identified alternatives to begin the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.
Four potential alternatives were evaluated in the feasibility study and were presented during a virtual public meeting period in 2021. These recommendations were for I-15 improvements alone. Alternative 1 Shift was determined to be more financially feasible compared to the other build alternatives; however, the NEPA study will evaluate all alternatives' environmental impact before making any decisions on which alternative to move forward with.
Since then, NDOT has coordinated with Clark County and the City of Las Vegas and determined that additional evaluation and study are needed in the corridor. Other potential additional improvements that are part of this current study include extending Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to Dean Martin and adding a median interchange between Sahara and Spring Mountain.
I-15 Central Corridor Proposed Design Alternatives
Roadway improvement alternatives are being developed and analyzed at this time. Alternatives that were evaluated in the 2021 feasibility study are serving as the basis for incorporating the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard frontage road extension - between Oakey and Dean Martin/Twain - and a potential HOV interchange in the vicinity of I-15 and Meade Avenue.
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