‘Dropicana’: Stretch of I-15 in Vegas closing for weekend
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A key stretch of the main vehicle travel route between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City will be closed all weekend as part of a project to reshape a busy interchange serving the Las Vegas Strip.
Nevada Department of Transportation officials say Interstate 15 will be shut down to let crews demolish a big overpass at Tropicana Avenue.
Officials say motorists will face detours and massive delays between the Flamingo and Russell road exits.
The department calls the 18-month, $305 million road reconstruction project “Dropicana.”
Designers say that when it’s finished in mid-2025, the overpass will be higher over the interstate, wider for traffic and safer for pedestrians near some of the city’s biggest casino-hotels and venues including Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena.
The stretch of interstate is the busiest highway in Nevada, handling 300,000 or more vehicles per day. Officials say travelers and truckers should expect detours and delays and surface streets in the area will be jammed with rerouted traffic.
The project is funded with state gas tax money and federal funds including a $50 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2020.
