Delays possible as work begins on I-15 repaving project

By Kyle B. Hansen

Monday, Sept. 5, 2011 | 2 a.m.

Construction will start Tuesday on yet another portion of Interstate 15 in the Las Vegas Valley, and the project is likely to create some traffic headaches for motorists.

The project is fairly simple -- crews are repaving the road from Tropicana Avenue to the Spaghetti Bowl -- but it’s the busiest stretch of freeway in the state and in an effort to complete the project quickly, work will take place around the clock instead of only at night.

Crews will begin the preparation work for the project Tuesday, including repairing walls and joint seals. That work will only close lanes on the freeway from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

But the paving work is scheduled to begin the night of Sept. 11, kicking off the around-the-clock lane closures for both directions of the freeway.

Crews will take Friday and Saturday off, but delays are expected during work from 7 p.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Thursday for five to six weeks.

Work will begin in the right lanes of the freeway and work toward the center. Some ramps will also be closed over the course of the project.

While the contractor, Fisher Sand & Gravel, has until the end of October to finish the $6 million project, company President Tommy Fisher has said he hopes to finish the work much sooner.

Officials from the Nevada Department of Transportation said they decided to do the work in September and October because that is when the freeway has historically seen the lowest traffic volume.

But the project’s proximity to the I-15 Design-Build South Project could make congestion even worse than would be seen from a typical repaving project. That project has closed lanes on the freeway from Tropicana south to the Blue Diamond Road interchange.

Additional confusion may also come where the express lanes exist. The plastic guide posts that separate the express lanes from the rest of the freeway between Tropicana and Sahara Avenue will be temporarily removed for the project, but transportation officials warned it is still illegal to cross in and out of the express lanes across the solid white lines.

The good news is that when the project is complete, I-15 should be a much smoother ride. The transportation department decided to use crumb rubber asphalt for the repaving. The asphalt is made from recycled tires and reduces noise, last longer and provides more drainage. Plus, it’s more environmentally friendly.

Similar asphalt made from recycled tires is already in place on U.S. 95 in Henderson south of the Las Vegas Beltway and was recently used to repave Green Valley Parkway.