NDOT studies major I-15 upgrades from Sloan to California state line

The future of Interstate 15 between Sloan and the Nevada-California state line is the subject of a feasibility study being conducted by the Nevada Department of Transportation.

NDOT wants to gauge the public’s opinion on projected growth in the area and road updates that could be implemented to keep up with the potential expansion.

An open house on the project starts at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the South Career &Technical Academy, 255 E. Starr Ave. Residents are urged to attend and provide their feedback on the potential improvements.

Employment in Nevada is expected to increase by 44 percent, going from 1.3 million jobs in 2023 to nearly 1.9 million in 2050, according to NDOT. It is estimated that Southern Nevada will need an additional 5,857 acres of industrial land over that time to meet future needs in the industry.

Projected growth

That’s where the I-15 corridor between Sloan and state line comes into play, with plans for residential, commercial and industrial expansion between Sloan and Jean.

There is a joint land use study between Clark County and the city of Henderson tied to 31,000 acres where residential, commercial and industrial development could occur between 2030 and 2050. The development would mainly be east of I-15, with a small portion stretching to the west side of the freeway.

Development of the land hinges on the passage of the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Land Bill. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., reintroduced the bill in March, but there hasn’t been movement on the bill since.

The Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport is projected to open in 2037, aimed at alleviating air traffic at Harry Reid International Airport. There would also be around 17,000 acres near the supplemental airport for commercial and industrial uses.

As it stands today, the I-15 corridor is three lanes in each direction, with two existing interchanges — one in Jean and one in Primm — both interchanges were built in 1958. The Primm interchange has height restrictions.

The stretch of I-15 is dangerous, with a higher rate of injury crashes than the state average, based on crash data between 2018 and 2022. There were 15 fatal crashes on I-15 in those years, resulting in 22 deaths. Hot spots for crashes on the I-15 corridor were found to be near the Jean and Primm interchanges.

Proposed changes

There are plans to upgrade I-15 over the next 20-plus years to address the anticipated growth in the area.

■ Constructing an interchange just north of Sloan at Via Nobila between St. Rose Parkway and Sloan.

■ Reconstructing the existing Sloan interchange, which will be renamed Via Inspirada.

■ Reconstructing the Primm interchange to meet current vehicle clearance standards.

■ Constructing a new interchange two miles north of the Primm interchange to provide access to the planned Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport.

■ Constructing the Brightline West high-speed rail system between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California. The rail line is planned to run in the center median to a point about 9 miles south of Sloan toward California, then to the east of the interstate to serve the planned airport before returning to the center line two miles from the California state line.

■ Constructing two emergency vehicle crossings for the Brightline West system, which would include bridge structures over I-15, the rail alignment and restricted-use ramps providing access to the bridge structures.

I-15 alternate routes

Further out, NDOT would look at adding additional connections to other nearby highways to provide redundancy for travelers in the area if crashes occur. That would include connecting I-15 to U.S. Highway 95 to the east and to State Route 160. Development of both potential highway connections could be limited by environmental constraints and would require coordination between several agencies and developer participation.

NDOT would look to use various funding methods to pay for the proposed upgrades to the transit system, such as public-private partnerships, tax incremental financing, federal funding and grant opportunities.