Interstate 515

Interstate 515 marker

Interstate 515
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length: 20.024 mi[1] (32.226 km)
Existed: July 12, 1976 – present
History: Approved on July 12, 1976; Opened in stages 1982–1994; Signed in 1994
Major junctions
South end: US 93 / US 95 in Henderson
  I‑215 in Henderson
North end: I‑15 / US 93 / US 95 in Las Vegas
Highway system
  • Highways in Nevada
← SR 513SR 516 →

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) in 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) in 1986, to Russell Road in 1988 and to Lake Mead Parkway (SR 564), at the time known as Lake Mead Drive (SR 146 west and SR 147 east), in 1990. In 1994, the entire freeway was completed to Boulder Highway, just south of Wagon Wheel Drive.

View north at the north end of I-515

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.

Northbound I-515 begins on US 93/95 near the southern city limits of Henderson.

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

The designation of future Interstate 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, is one of three corridors under consideration to carry the I-11 designation through the Las Vegas Valley.[4]

Exit list

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

LocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Henderson— US 93 south / US 95 south – Boulder City, Phoenix, NeedlesContinuation beyond southern terminus
56AWagon Wheel Drive, Nevada State DriveSigned as exit 56 southbound; serves Nevada State College
56BBoulder Highway (SR 582 north)Southbound exit and northbound entrance are via exit 56
57College DriveServes College of Southern Nevada, Henderson Campus
59Horizon DriveFormer Diamond interchange, Diverging diamond interchange completed and opened on January 25, 2015 (Nevada's second DDI)
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; serves St. Rose Dominican Hospital – Rose de Lima Campus
62Auto Show Drive
64ASunset Road (SR 562)
64BGalleria Drive
65Russell RoadServes Sam Boyd Stadium
Paradise68Tropicana Avenue (SR 593) – McCarran Airport
69Flamingo Road (SR 592)Serves Desert Springs Hospital
Winchester–Sunrise Manor line70Boulder Highway (SR 582)
Sunrise Manor–Las Vegas line72Charleston Boulevard (SR 159)
Las Vegas73Eastern Avenue
75ALas Vegas Boulevard – Downtown Las Vegas, Cashman CenterSigned as exit 75 northbound
75BCasino Center Boulevard – Downtown Las VegasSouthbound exit only; northbound entrance is via 4th Street
76 I‑15 / US 93 north – Los Angeles, Salt Lake CitySigned as exits 76A (south) and 76B (north) northbound and 76A (north) and 76B (south) southbound; I-15 exit 42
— US 95 north – Tonopah, RenoContinuation beyond northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nevada Department of Transportation (January 2017). "State Maintained Highways of Nevada: Descriptions and Maps". Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ "Corridor Concept Report: I-11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study" (PDF). I-11 Corridor Study. November 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2016.

Route map: Google

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