LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Officials on Tuesday celebrated the completion of a yearslong project that reshaped a high-traffic portion of Interstate 15 near the Las Vegas Strip.
At a Tuesday ribbon-cutting ceremony, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo discussed some of the difficult times the Interstate 15/Tropicana project faced during peak periods in the Las Vegas Valley while construction was ongoing.
“As you can imagine, when the Super Bowl was taking place or F1 was taking place, there was a request to shut down construction during that process, but with the cooperation from MGM and those conversations, we were able to continue the project moving forward,” Lombardo said. “Could you imagine the cost to the state if the project was shut down for any period of time?”
The Interstate 15/Tropicana project began in the third quarter of 2022 with work on the Harmon Channel, which functioned as a drainage box culvert, and additional utility upgrades. Shortly afterward, the north half of the Tropicana Avenue bridge over Interstate 15 and Frank Sinatra Drive was demolished. Additionally, the Tropicana bridge over Dean Martin Drive was built, and the flyover bridge to eastbound Tropicana Avenue was completed.
In March 2023, a temporary diverging diamond interchange was implemented on Tropicana Avenue over Interstate 15. That development led to confused drivers, prompting the Nevada Department of Transportation to create social media videos offering tips on how to navigate it.
At the start of 2024, phase three saw the completion of improvements to the south side of Tropicana Avenue, the demolition of the south half of the Tropicana bridge, and the reconstruction of bridges over Interstate 15, Frank Sinatra Drive and Dean Martin Drive.
Running concurrently with phase three, phase four primarily involved work on the connection to Dean Martin Drive, located under Tropicana Avenue. The final phase brought improvements aimed at enhancing traffic operations and increasing capacity on the west side of Tropicana Avenue.
The $305 million project was estimated to support 4,664 jobs.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
