Interstate 515

Interstate 515 (I-515) is a 14.444-mile-long (23.245 km) spur route of I-15 in the US state of Nevada that runs from the junction of I-11, I-215, and State Route 564 (SR 564) at the Spaghetti Bowl Interchange in Henderson to the junction of I-15, U.S. Route 93 (US 93), and US 95 at the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl Interchange in Downtown Las Vegas. The freeway connects traffic headed from Boulder City and Henderson to Downtown Las Vegas via a direct, high-speed route, and it runs concurrently with both US 93 and US 95 along its entire length.

Interstate 515 marker

Interstate 515

I-515 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-15
Maintained by NDOT
Length14.444 mi[1] (23.245 km)
ExistedJuly 12, 1976–present
HistoryApproved on July 12, 1976; Opened in stages 1982–1994; Signed in 1994
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-11 / I-215 / US 93 / US 95 / SR 564 in Henderson
North end I-15 / US 93 / US 95 in Las Vegas
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNevada
CountiesClark
Highway system
  • Nevada State Highway System
← SR 513→ SR 516

The I-515 designation was first approved in 1976, but construction did not begin until 1982, and was constructed in stages until it reached its former terminus north of Railroad Pass in 1994, when signs of the designation finally were put up. I-515 was built to bypass Fremont Street and Boulder Highway, both of which were former alignments of US 93, US 95, and US 466, and provide a direct freeway connection with Henderson.

Prior to August 2017, I-515 extended southeastward past the I-215 interchange before terminating at the southern city limits of Henderson. This segment has been redesignated as I-11. The Nevada Department of Transportation announced in 2022 that part of the preferred alternative for the future northward extension of I-11 would follow the remainder of the I-515 alignment.

Route description
Northbound view approaching the northern terminus of I-515 in 2015

The southern terminus of I-515 is at an interchange with I-11, I-215, US 93, US 95, and SR 564 in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. The freeway continues south as I-11 towards Boulder City and the Hoover Dam on the former alignment of I-515.[2] The six-lane freeway travels northwest from the interchange and carries the concurrent designations of I-515, US 93, and US 95 through Henderson as it passes the Sunset Station casino and Galleria at Sunset shopping mall. I-515 then turns north and intersects Tropicana Avenue (SR 593), Flamingo Road (SR 592), and the Boulder Highway (SR 582) as it approaches Las Vegas. After entering the city of Las Vegas, the highway turns west and intersects Las Vegas Boulevard on the north side of Downtown Las Vegas. I-515 ends at the Spaghetti Bowl, an interchange with I-15,[3] while the roadway continues west as Oran K. Gragson Freeway (carrying US 95).[4]

History

Prior to the completion of the freeway, US 93 and US 95 originally followed Fremont Street/Boulder Highway from Downtown Las Vegas southeast through Henderson to Boulder City.[5] Boulder Highway was signed as a business route of US 93/US 95 after the freeway was completed, but that designation has since been removed; it is now just SR 582.

The I-515 freeway, which began construction in 1982, is a continuation of the Oran K. Gragson Freeway (named for the former Las Vegas mayor who advocated for the construction of the then Las Vegas Expressway) which ran primarily along the former West Fremont Street alignment between Las Vegas Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard. The spur was completed southeast to Charleston Boulevard (SR 159) in 1984, to Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) in 1986, to Russell Road in 1988, to Lake Mead Parkway (SR 564) (then known as Lake Mead Drive, SR 146 west and SR 147 east), in 1990, and finally to Railroad Pass just south of Boulder Highway in 1994 at an at-grade intersection with Paradise Hills Drive (which was eventually removed). With this extension of highway complete, the length of I-515 was 20.010 miles (32.203 km).[6]

The I-515 designation was first approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on July 12, 1976, from the I-15 interchange to the junction of US 93 and US 95 (at Boulder Highway, current exit 70).[7] On December 7, 1984, AASHTO approved the southeasterly extension of the route to its former terminus near Boulder City.[8] Even though the route number was approved prior to the highway's construction, I-515 was not consistently signed until after the freeway was completed down to its former southern terminus north of Railroad Pass in 1994.

Beginning of northbound I-515 as seen in 2015, at the former southern terminus in the southern city limits of Henderson.

With the pending construction of the Boulder City Bypass introducing the I-11 designation to Nevada, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) sought to connect the new route to other Interstate Highways. NDOT submitted an application to AASHTO at their spring 2014 meeting to request the designation of "Future Interstate 11", which included routing I-11 along existing I-515 between Railroad Pass and the I-215 Henderson Spaghetti Bowl interchange—AASHTO approved this request on May 29, 2014, with condition that it also be approved by the Federal Highway Administration.[9] The Boulder City Bypass was completed in August 2018. As a result, I-515 was shortened by 5.566 miles (8.958 km) to its current length of 14.444 mi (23.245 km). NDOT began replacing I-515 signs along the southern stretch with I-11 signs on March 17, 2019. The signing continued through April 26, 2019.[10]

Future

The designation of future I-11 is planned to connect the Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas metropolitan areas, with potential for future expansion northwest of Las Vegas to Reno in the northwestern part of the state. The current I-515 alignment, with a continuation northwest along US 95, was one of three corridors under consideration to carry the I-11 designation through the Las Vegas Valley.[11] On July 27, 2022, it was announced that the Nevada Department of Transportation had chosen the central corridor, following the current path of I-515 and US 95, as the preferred alternative for the alignment of I-11 through Las Vegas, although the announcement did not include whether or not the I-515 designation will be retained.[12]

Beginning in 2022, several construction projects have been started or planned to improve the I-515 corridor as a whole. The projects include soundwall and retaining wall reconstruction, bridge rehabilitation, and interchange improvements. All the projects are expected to be started by 2027.[13]

Exit list

Exits on I-515 are numbered according to US 95 mileposts. The entire route is in Clark County.

LocationmikmOld exitNew exitDestinationsNotes
Henderson0.0000.000—


 I-11 south / US 93 south / US 95 south – Boulder City, Phoenix, Needles		Continuation beyond southern terminus of I-515; former I-515 south
6123

 I-215 west (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) / SR 564 east (Lake Mead Parkway)		Southern end of US 93/95 concurrency; former SR 146; I-215 exit 1
1.01.662Auto Show Drive
2.33.76464ASunset RoadFormer SR 562
2.94.764BGalleria DriveOpened on November 4, 2009
4.16.665Russell RoadServes Sam Boyd Stadium
Paradise6.310.168 Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) – McCarran International Airport
7.311.769Flamingo Road (SR 592)
Sunrise Manor–Winchester line8.814.270Boulder Highway (SR 582)Former US 93/US 95/US 466
Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line10.416.772Charleston Boulevard (SR 159)
Las Vegas12.119.573Eastern AvenueFormer SR 607
13.521.775ALas Vegas Boulevard – Downtown Las Vegas, Cashman CenterSigned as exit 75 northbound; former SR 604/US 91/US 93/US 95
13.722.075BCasino Center Boulevard (SR 602 south) – Downtown Las VegasSouthbound exit only; northbound entrance is via 4th Street
14.44423.24576
 I-15 / US 93 north – Los Angeles, Salt Lake City		Northern end of US 93/US 95 concurrency; signed as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north); I-15 exit 42
—
 US 95 north – Tonopah, Reno		Continuation beyond northern terminus of I-515
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2019). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  2. Nevada Department of Transportation (2019). Official Highway Map (Map) (2019–2020 ed.). Scale not given. Carson City: Nevada Department of Transportation. Las Vegas–Henderson Region inset.
  3. "Appendix Q. I-515 Executive Summary". Southern Nevada Traffic Study. Nevada Department of Transportation. October 2018. p. ES – 1. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  4. Google (September 13, 2022). "Interstate 515" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  5. Nevada Department of Transportation (1985). Official Highway Map of Nevada (Map) (1985–1986 ed.). Scale not given. Carson City: Nevada Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  6. Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2018). State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps.
  7. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (July 13, 1976). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  8. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (December 7, 1984). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  9. Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 29, 2014). "Report to SCOH" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (DOCX) on February 26, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  10. Ackers, Mick (March 14, 2019). "75 new freeway signs to be installed between Henderson, Boulder City". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  11. "Corridor Concept Report: I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study" (PDF). I-11 Corridor Study. November 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  12. Akers, Mick (June 27, 2022). "I-11's Preferred Las Vegas Route Chosen". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  13. "Welcome to the I-515 Corridor". Nv515. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
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