Nevada State Route 159
State Route 159 (SR 159) is a 31.204-mile (50.218 km) east–west highway in Clark County, Nevada, United States, providing access to Red Rock Canyon and serving as a thoroughfare in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. A portion of the west end of the route is designated a Nevada Scenic Byway.
State Route 159 | ||||
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 Nevada State Route 159, highlighted in red. | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NDOT | ||||
| Length | 31.204 mi[1] (50.218 km) | |||
| Existed | 1978–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  SR 160 in Blue Diamond | |||
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| East end |  SR 612 (Nellis Boulevard) at Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Nevada | |||
| Counties | Clark | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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State Route 159 has two distinct segments. The first segment is a rural two-lane highway that begins at its junction with SR 160. The highway proceeds northwest through the town of Blue Diamond towards Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. From there, the highway curves northeast around Red Rock Canyon to the Las Vegas city limits west of the Las Vegas Beltway. This segment of SR 159 is known on maps and signs as Blue Diamond Road (assuming the name from SR 160), but is also referred to as Red Rock Canyon Road.
As SR 159 enters the city of Las Vegas, it transitions into Charleston Boulevard, a major east–west section line arterial bisecting the Las Vegas Valley. The highway crosses the Las Vegas Beltway and runs through the planned community of Summerlin. SR 159 continues east to intersect Interstate 15 and then passes south of Downtown Las Vegas. From there, the highway ventures further east to intersect Interstate 515 and U.S. Routes 93 and 95 before reaching its terminus at Nellis Boulevard (SR 612). (Charleston Boulevard itself ends about three miles (5 km) east of Nellis Boulevard near Frenchman Mountain.)
History
A portion of Charleston Boulevard was previously designated U.S. Route 95 Alternate to bypass Downtown Las Vegas. The designation began at Fremont Street (SR 582) and continued west to Rancho Drive (SR 599), where it curved north to reconnect to US 95. The alternate route was discontinued in 1982.
Approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) of SR 159 in Red Rock Canyon was designated a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995.[2]
Major intersections
The entire route is in Clark County.
| Location | mi[3] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Diamond | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 160 – Las Vegas, Pahrump | Counterclockwise terminus; road continues south as Erskine Junction Way | |||
| Las Vegas–Summerlin South line | 15.833 | 25.481 |  CC 215 (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) | Interchange; future I-215; CC 215 exit 26 | |||
| Gap in route | |||||||
| Las Vegas | 15.833 | 25.481 | Martin L. King Boulevard | Interchange; eastbound left exit and westbound entrances | |||
 I-15 – Los Angeles, Salt Lake City | Interchange; I-15 exit 41 | ||||||
| 16.17 | 26.02 | Grand Central Parkway | |||||
| Gap in route | |||||||
| Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line | 16.17 | 26.02 | Fremont Street (SR 582) | ||||
   I-515 / US 93 / US 95 (I-11) | Interchange; I-515 exit 72 | ||||||
| 18.524 | 29.811 | Nellis Boulevard (SR 612) | Clockwise terminus; road continues east as Charleston Boulevard | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||||
Public Transport
Current RTC route 206 functions on this road.
References
- Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2020). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- Nevada Department of Transportation. "Nevada's Scenic Byways". Retrieved March 24, 2008.
- "Overview of SR 159". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
External links
Media related to Nevada State Route 159 at Wikimedia Commons