LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) – Whew! We made it! Now that I-15 is back open between Flamingo and Russell, you might appreciate seeing – and hearing – *why* it was closed. Check the video connected to this story [above].
NDOT Project Manager Lynnette Russell explained it very simply for us Friday morning:
“Sometimes you can have freeway traffic down below. But, in this case, we’re taking down the overpass – a portion of it – and that will mean we’ll have falling pieces of concrete and rebar, and this is really a safety measure while we do necessary infrastructure improvements.”
One of those improvements may take some getting used to: Tropicana is back open – but with only two lanes each for east and westbound travel – and in what may seem like an odd and possibly dangerous set up known as a “Diverging Diamond” interchange, where traffic appears to be moving in the wrong direction.
Just ask drivers who get off the I-11 at Horizon Ridge in Henderson, where they’ve had a diverging diamond for a few years now. If and when *you* venture on to the new set-up at Trop – please take it easy until you – and all the other drivers – get used to it. Pro tip from NDOT: once the entire project is done done in 2025, Trop will have four so-called “normal” lanes in each direction – with *no* diverging diamond.
Buckle up, drive carefully – and – please put down that phone
Join the “Driving You Crazy” conversation at: traffic8@8newsnow.com