FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2021 Tony Illia, NDOT Public Information Officer Tel: (702) 385-6509 | E-mail: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE I-515 Viaduct Repair Work, Closures July 21-29 in Downtown

LAS VEGAS, NEV. – The Department of Transportation (NDOT) announces the following upcoming road and ramp restrictions related to the $40 million Interstate 515 (U.S. Highway 95) viaduct rehabilitation project in .

Wednesday Night, July 21—Thursday Morning, July 22 • The left travel lane along northbound Interstate 515 will be closed between Twain Avenue and Boulder Highway from 9 p.m., July 21, until 5 a.m., July 22, in Las Vegas. • Northbound Interstate 515 will be closed between Las Vegas and Martin Luther King boulevards from 11 p.m., July 21, until 5 a.m., July 22, in downtown Las Vegas to remove and install overhead freeway signs. • The onramps from Casino Center and Las Vegas boulevards to northbound Interstate 515 will be closed from 9 p.m., July 21, until 6 a.m., July 22, in downtown Las Vegas.

Thursday Night, July 22—Friday Morning, July 23 • The left travel lane along northbound Interstate 515 will be closed between Twain Avenue and Boulder Highway from 9 p.m., July 22, until 5 a.m., July 23, in Las Vegas.

Friday Morning, July 23 • Northbound Fourth Street will be reduced by one travel lane under Interstate 515 from 2 a.m. until noon, July 23, in downtown Las Vegas. • The Martin Luther King Boulevard and onramps to southbound Interstate 515 will be closed from 12:01 a.m. until 5 a.m., July 23, in downtown Las Vegas. • Southbound Interstate 515 will be closed between Martin Luther King and Las Vegas boulevards from 2 a.m. until 5 a.m., July 23, in downtown Las Vegas to remove and install overhead freeway signs.

Saturday Morning, July 24 • Northbound Fourth Street will be reduced by one travel lane under Interstate 515 from 2 a.m. until noon, July 23, in downtown Las Vegas.

Sunday Night, July 25—Thursday Morning, July 29 • Southbound Interstate 515 will be reduced to one travel lane between Casino Center Boulevard and Eastern Avenue from 11:59 p.m. until 5 a.m. nightly, starting the evening of July 25 and concluding the morning of July 29 in downtown Las Vegas.

The project will extend the near-term service life of the 1.6-mile-long viaduct between Interstate 15 and Eastern Avenue, portions of which were built almost 60 years ago. (A viaduct is a long bridge-

like structure carrying an elevated roadway not to be confused with an aqueduct that conveys water). Las Vegas Paving Corp. is the general contractor.

The project will also repair and overlay the entire 1.2 million square foot viaduct deck surface between the Union Pacific Railroad and 21st Street – the equivalent of 25 football fields – as well as reconstruct the Casino Center Boulevard off-ramp hinge while seismically retrofitting selected viaduct columns. Also, a new southbound auxiliary lane will be added between Interstate 15 and Eastern Avenue by lane restriping, and the Eastern Avenue southbound offramp will be widened to two lanes.

Other improvements entail reconstructing the aging Eastern Avenue and bridges, which have developed fatigue cracks in the structural steel box girders. The project will use 614,000 pounds of total steel or enough iron to forge 20 cruise ship anchors and place enough polymer concrete aggregate and resin to fill 28 average-sized swimming pools.

Construction will occur six days a week. The stretch of impacted interstate averages 183,000 vehicles daily, pre-pandemic, with heavy trucks only accounting for 1.2 percent of total traffic. As a result, the 370- working-day project contract carries up to $1.38 million in early completion incentives; conversely, penalties of $16,250 per day will be assessed for late completion. The state and federally funded project, anticipated to finish by late-2022, will create 500 direct, indirect, and induced local jobs. Checkout the dedicated project website at www.i515project.com or Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages (@I515FixLV) for up to date information. There is also a hotline available in English and Spanish that motorists can call or text at: (702) 426-7505. Additionally, motorists can receive project updates by texting “515PROJECT” to 775-242-9168.

Motorists should use caution while travelling through the work zone, heed construction signage, and take alternate detour routes, if possible. NDOT works with Waze to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but unscheduled construction changes, closures and restrictions are possible due to weather or other factors. For the latest state highway conditions, visit nvroads.com or call 511 before driving.

Construction crews work on the Interstate 515 Casino Center Boulevard ramp in downtown Las Vegas.