Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

NDOT widening U.S. 95 from Durango to Kyle Canyon

U.S. 95 Kyle Canyon Road

Nevada Department of Transportation

An artist’s rendering of a new planned interchange at U.S. 95 and Kyle Canyon Road.

A six-mile stretch of U.S. 95, including the turnoff to Mount Charleston, is set for an upgrade.

The Nevada Department of Transportation broke ground on a $78 million project Thursday that will widen the highway between Durango Drive and Kyle Canyon Road.

Additionally, the project calls for the addition of a diamond interchange at Kyle Canyon Road featuring a wrong way driver detection system.

“This project will relieve congestion, improve efficiency and enhance safety in fast-growing northwest Las Vegas, while providing capacity for future growth and development,” NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon said. “Currently, over 52,000 vehicles daily travel through this corridor. However, traffic is expected to more than double over the next two decades.”

There were 279 wrong way driver crashes on Nevada freeways from 2005 to 2015, resulting in 41 fatalities and 125 injuries.

The wrong way driver alert signs have proven to reduce such crashes by 38 percent, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.

The project also includes landscaping upgrades and nearly nine miles of barrier rail.

Upgrades for the Clark County Regional Flood Control District tied into the project include 11,200 feet of concrete box storm drainage and 400 feet of open channels between the Centennial Bowl and Grand Teton Drive.

The project is being underwritten by a combination of federal ($42.4 million), state ($2.2 million) and local ($33.4 million) funds. Construction is slated to finish in the fall of 2019.

Las Vegas Paving is the general contractor.

“This project helps create a reliable transportation network that enhances cultural and economic access in the northwest valley,” said Larry Brown, Clark County commissioner representing District C. “It establishes a new visual gateway corridor into Mount Charleston.”