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Interstate 515

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Interstate 515 marker
Interstate 515
Map
I-515 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-15
Maintained by NDOT
Length20.54 mi[1][2][3] (33.06 km)
ExistedJuly 12, 1976–May 2024
HistoryApproved on July 12, 1976; Opened in stages 1982–1994; Signed in 1994; decommissioned in 2024.
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end US 93 / US 95 near Henderson
Major intersections I-215 in Henderson
North end I-15 / US 93 / US 95 in Las Vegas
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
Highway system
  • Nevada State Highway System
← SR 513→ SR 516

Interstate 515 (I-515) was a 20.54-mile-long (33.06 km) spur route of I-15 in the US state of Nevada that ran from the junction of I-15, US 93 and US 95 (the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl Interchange) in Downtown approximately 20 miles (32 km) southeast to just north of Railroad Pass in southeastern Henderson. The freeway connected traffic headed from Boulder City and Henderson to Downtown Las Vegas via a direct, high-speed route, and it ran concurrently with, US 93, and US 95 along its entire length.

The I-515 designation was first approved in 1976, but construction did not begin until 1982, and was constructed in stages until it reached its former terminus north of Railroad Pass in 1994, when signs of the designation finally were put up. I-515 was built to bypass Fremont Street and Boulder Highway, both of which were former alignments of US 93, US 95, and US 466, and provide a direct freeway connection with Henderson.

In August 2017, the segment of I-515 between the I-215 interchange and the southern city limits of Henderson was redesignated as I-11. The Nevada Department of Transportation announced in 2022 that part of the preferred alternative for the future northward extension of I-11 would follow the remainder of the I-515 alignment. Signs for I-11 along I-515 and US 95 north of I-15 began to go up in 2024, and the I-515 designation was decommissioned in May 2024.[4][5]

Route description

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Northbound view approaching the northern terminus of I-515 in 2015

The southern terminus of I-515 was at an interchange with I-11, I-215, US 93, US 95, and SR 564 in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. The freeway continues south as I-11 towards Boulder City and the Hoover Dam on the former alignment of I-515.[6] The six-lane freeway travels northwest from the interchange and carried the concurrent designations of I-515, US 93, and US 95 through Henderson as it passed the Sunset Station casino and Galleria at Sunset shopping mall. I-515 then turned north and intersected Tropicana Avenue (SR 593), Flamingo Road (SR 592), and the Boulder Highway (SR 582) as it approached Las Vegas. After entering the city of Las Vegas, the highway turned west and intersected Las Vegas Boulevard on the north side of Downtown Las Vegas. I-515 ended at the Spaghetti Bowl, an interchange with I-15,[7] while the roadway continues west as Oran K. Gragson Freeway (carrying US 95).[8]

History

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Prior to the completion of the freeway, US 93 and US 95 originally followed Fremont Street/Boulder Highway from Downtown Las Vegas southeast through Henderson to Boulder City.[9] Boulder Highway was signed as a business route of US 93/US 95 after the freeway was completed, but that designation has since been removed; it is now just SR 582.[citation needed]

The I-515 freeway, which began construction in 1982, is a continuation of the Oran K. Gragson Freeway (named for the former Las Vegas mayor who advocated for the construction of the then Las Vegas Expressway) which ran primarily along the former West Fremont Street alignment between Las Vegas Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard.[citation needed] The spur was completed southeast to Charleston Boulevard (SR 159) in 1984, to Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) in 1986, to Russell Road in 1988, to Lake Mead Parkway (SR 564) (then known as Lake Mead Drive, SR 146 west and SR 147 east), in 1990, and finally to Railroad Pass just south of Boulder Highway in 1994 at an at-grade intersection with Paradise Hills Drive (which was eventually removed).[citation needed] With this extension of highway complete, the length of I-515 was 20.010 miles (32.203 km).[10]

The I-515 designation was first approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on July 12, 1976, from the I-15 interchange to the junction of US 93 and US 95 (at Boulder Highway, current exit 70).[11] On December 7, 1984, AASHTO approved the southeasterly extension of the route to its former terminus near Boulder City.[12] Even though the route number was approved prior to the highway's construction, I-515 was not consistently signed until after the freeway was completed down to its former southern terminus north of Railroad Pass in 1994.[citation needed]

Beginning of northbound I-515 as seen in 2015, at the former southern terminus in the southern city limits of Henderson.

With the pending construction of the Boulder City Bypass introducing the I-11 designation to Nevada, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) sought to connect the new route to other Interstate Highways. NDOT submitted an application to AASHTO at their spring 2014 meeting to request the designation of "Future Interstate 11", which included routing I-11 along existing I-515 between Railroad Pass and the I-215 Henderson Spaghetti Bowl interchange—AASHTO approved this request on May 29, 2014, with condition that it also be approved by the Federal Highway Administration.[13] The Boulder City Bypass was completed in August 2018. As a result, I-515 was shortened by 5.566 miles (8.958 km) to its current length of 14.444 mi (23.245 km). NDOT began replacing I-515 signs along the southern stretch with I-11 signs on March 17, 2019. The signing continued through April 26, 2019.[14]

The designation of future I-11 is planned to connect the Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, with potential for future expansion northwest of Las Vegas to Reno in the northwestern part of the state. The former I-515 alignment, with a continuation northwest along US 95, was one of three corridors under consideration to carry the I-11 designation through the Las Vegas Valley.[15] On July 27, 2022, it was announced that the Nevada Department of Transportation had chosen the central corridor, following the former path of I-515 and US 95, as the preferred alternative for the alignment of I-11 through Las Vegas,[16] and signage was put up in May 2024; the I-515 designation was decommissioned at that time.[4][5]

Beginning in 2022, several construction projects have been started or planned to improve the I-515 corridor as a whole. The projects include soundwall and retaining wall reconstruction, bridge rehabilitation, and interchange improvements. All the projects are expected to be started by 2027.[17]

Exit list

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Exits listed below reflect the maximum extent of I-515 prior to the southern portion being renumbered to I-11. Exits on I-515 were numbered according to US 95 mileposts.The entire route is in Clark County.

LocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Henderson—

 US 93 south / US 95 south – Boulder City, Phoenix, Needles		Continuation beyond southern terminus
56AWagon Wheel Drive, Nevada State DriveSigned as exit 56 southbound; serves Nevada State College
56BBoulder Highway (SR 582 north)Northbound exit and southbound entrance
57College DriveServes College of Southern Nevada, Henderson Campus
59Horizon DriveFormer diamond interchange, diverging diamond interchange completed and opened on January 25, 2015
61

 I-215 west (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) / SR 564 east (Lake Mead Parkway)		Signed as exits 61A (west) and 61B (east) southbound; I-215 exit 1
62Auto Show Drive
64ASunset Road (SR 562)
64BGalleria Drive
65Russell RoadServes Sam Boyd Stadium
Clark County (Paradise)68Tropicana Avenue (SR 593)Serves McCarran Airport
69Flamingo Road (SR 592)
Clark County (Winchester,
Sunrise Manor)		70Boulder Highway (SR 582)
Clark County (Sunrise Manor),
Las Vegas		72Charleston Boulevard (SR 159)
Las Vegas73Eastern Avenue
75ALas Vegas Boulevard – Downtown Las Vegas, Cashman CenterSigned as exit 75 northbound
75BCasino Center Boulevard – Downtown Las VegasSouthbound exit only; northbound entrance is via 4th Street
76
 I-15 / US 93 north – Los Angeles, Salt Lake City		Signed as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north) northbound and 76A (north) and 76B (south) southbound; I-15 exit 42
—
 US 95 north – Reno		Continuation beyond northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. December 31, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2019). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Akers, Mick (December 18, 2023). "I-11 footprint to grow in Southern Nevada". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Vigil, Joe (May 22, 2024). "Interstate 11 signs going up in Las Vegas; Mexico-to-Canada interstate plans move forward". www.fox5vegas.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  6. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (2019). Official Highway Map (Map) (2019–2020 ed.). Scale not given. Carson City: Nevada Department of Transportation. Las Vegas–Henderson Region inset.
  7. ^ "Appendix Q. I-515 Executive Summary". Southern Nevada Traffic Study. Nevada Department of Transportation. October 2018. p. ES – 1. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "Interstate 515" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (1985). Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1985–1986 ed.). Scale not given. Carson City: Nevada Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  10. ^ Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2018). State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps.
  11. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (July 13, 1976). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  12. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (December 7, 1984). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  13. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 29, 2014). "Report to SCOH" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (DOCX) on February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  14. ^ Ackers, Mick (March 14, 2019). "75 new freeway signs to be installed between Henderson, Boulder City". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  15. ^ "Corridor Concept Report: I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study" (PDF). I-11 Corridor Study. November 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  16. ^ Akers, Mick (June 27, 2022). "I-11's Preferred Las Vegas Route Chosen". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  17. ^ "Welcome to the I-515 Corridor". Nv515. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
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