Interstate 515
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NDOT | ||||
| Length: | 20.024 mi[1] (32.226 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1976 – present | |||
| History: | Approved in 1976; Opened in stages 1982–1994; Signed in 1994 | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: |
  US 93 / US 95 near Henderson | |||
 I‑215 in Henderson | ||||
| North end: |
 I‑15 / US 93 / US 95 in Las Vegas | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Interstate 515 (I-515) is a spur of Interstate 15 in Nevada that runs from the junction of I-15, US 93 and US 95 (the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl Interchange) near downtown approximately 20 miles (32 km) southeast to just north of Railroad Pass in southeastern Henderson.
I-515 exists concurrently with U.S. Routes 93 and 95 along its entire length.
History
The 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) by 1986, to Russell Road by 1988 and to Lake Mead Parkway (SR 564), at the time known as Lake Mead Drive (SR 146 west and SR 147 east), by 1990. By 1994, the entire freeway was completed to Boulder Highway, just south of Wagon Wheel Drive.
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).[2] On December 7, 1984, AASHTO approved the southeasterly extension of the route to its current terminus near Boulder City.[3] 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 current southern terminus north of Railroad Pass in 1994.
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 towards to Boulder City. Boulder Highway was signed as a business route of US 93/95 after the freeway was completed, but that designation has since been removed; it is now just State Route 582.
Despite being designated and signed for several years, most Las Vegas residents refer to the I-515 freeway as "US 95". This is due to the continuation of US 95 as a separate freeway west and north of I-15 (I-515 ends at I-15, while US 93 joins I-15) and also because this Interstate uses US 95 milepost and exit numbers rather than its own unique ones.
Future
It is speculated that the I-515 designation could be extended south around Boulder City along the future US 93/Boulder City Bypass. There is also the speculation this freeway could become part of a proposed Interstate 11 to Phoenix (indeed, Phoenix is the first control city on southbound I-515's pull-through sign at exit 75B, and reflects the concurrent signing as US 93 and US 95).
Exit list
Exits on I-515 are numbered according to US 95 mileposts.The entire route is in Clark County.
| Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henderson | — | US 93 south / US 95 south – Boulder City, Phoenix, Needles | Continuation beyond southern terminus | ||
| 56A | Wagon Wheel Drive, Nevada State Drive | Signed as exit 56 southbound; serves Nevada State College | |||
| 56B | Boulder Highway (SR 582 north) | Northbound exit and Southbound entrance | |||
| 57 | College Drive | Serves College of Southern Nevada, Henderson Campus | |||
| 59 | Horizon Drive | ||||
| 61 |  I‑215 west (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) / SR 564 east (Lake Mead Parkway) | Signed as exits 61A (west) and 61B (east) southbound; I-215 exit 1 | |||
| 62 | Auto Show Drive | ||||
| 64A | Sunset Road (SR 562) | ||||
| 64B | Galleria Drive | ||||
| 65 | Russell Road | Serves Sam Boyd Stadium | |||
| Clark County (Paradise) | 68 | Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) | Serves McCarran Airport | ||
| 69 | Flamingo Road (SR 592) | ||||
| Clark County (Winchester, Sunrise Manor) | 70 | Boulder Highway (SR 582) | |||
| Clark County (Sunrise Manor), Las Vegas | 72 | Charleston Boulevard (SR 159) | |||
| Las Vegas | 73 | Eastern Avenue | |||
| 75A | Las Vegas Boulevard – Downtown Las Vegas, Cashman Center | Signed as exit 75 northbound | |||
| 75B | Casino Center Boulevard – Downtown Las Vegas | Southbound exit only; northbound entrance is via 4th Street | |||
| 76 | I‑15 / US 93 north – Los Angeles, Salt Lake City | Signed as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north) northbound and 76A (north) and 76B (south) southbound; I-15 exit 42 | |||
| — | US 95 north – Reno | Continuation beyond northern terminus | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ↑ State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Description and Maps – Quarterly Changes (April, May, June). Nevada Department of Transportation. July 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ↑ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (July 13, 1976). Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee (PDF) (Report). Hot Springs, VA: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ↑ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (December 7, 1984). Route Numbering Committee Agenda (PDF) (Report). New Orleans, LA: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved November 7, 2014 – via Wikimedia Commons.
External links
Route map: Bing
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