By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
Four ongoing road projects will be affecting travel for Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley drivers in the coming months. These include work on state highways in two local areas as well as constructions projects along the I-15 corridor between Mesquite and Las Vegas.
SR 168 through Moapa
The first of these is expected to start next week. On May 15, crews will begin chip/fog sealing the entire length of State Route 168 through Moapa, from mile marker 0-18.
Work crews will use a flagging/pilot car operation in various 5 mile increments along the route.
Work will go on from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday to Thursday, during the week of May 15-18 and again for the week of May 22-25.
Drivers should expect delays during working hours and consider alternate routes if possible.
SR 169 into Logandale
A more extensive project has begun along State Route 169 between the I-15 interchange and Canal Street in Logandale. This project will widen the shoulders along the route, add bike lanes to both sides, provide a truck climbing lanes on the northbound side and create a turn lane at the Waterline Road intersection.
Though this project started about two weeks ago, traffic along the route has not yet been impacted. Rather crews have been busy with the environmental pre-work that needed to be completed before dirtwork could be done to the shoulders of the highway.
NDOT spokesman Justin Hopkins said that traffic flow is expected to be impacted beginning in mid- to late-June. This will include single lane closures and the use of pilot cars to direct traffic along a single remaining lane at various points along the route, he said.
The single lane closures will take place at approximately one mile at a time.
To reduce the pain of the delays, though, crews are planning to do most of the work at night.
“The contractor is committed to minimize the impacts of this project on the community,” Hopkins said. “So they plan to have the most traffic impacts in the evening hours and overnight, after 7 pm to about 5 am. They also plan to work in four 10-hour shifts each week so that clears things up on the weekends as well.”
There will be some traffic restrictions during the day for utility work. But these are expected to be much shorter in distance; likely just a couple of hundred feet, Hopkins said.
Delays are expected to be no longer than 15-20 minutes during the closures. The public is encouraged to plan ahead and schedule around such delays.
This project is supposed to continue for about six months and wrap up around January of 2024.
I-15 across Mormon Mesa
Work crews are also expected to resume work on the ongoing I-15 project, begun last year, which spans across the Mormon Mesa between Logandale and Mesquite. At this point, all that is left is the final paving on the project, Hopkins said.
“We had to wait until the spring to complete the paving on the Interstate,” Hopkins said. “But it will be nothing like before. The closures will only be temporary and in the evenings. So they will be cleared away during the daytime.”
Traffic will be impacted to one lane during the hours of 7 pm and 5 am only. These impacts will not take place on weekends.
The paving work is expected to commence immediately and continue through the late summer.
I-15 near Apex
The fourth project is also taking place on I-15 to the south of the communities. Starting in June, a series of 24/7 single-lane closures of the I-15 between Apex and the US 93 interchange will be necessary.
These long-term closures are expected to start on the evening of Sunday, Jun 4. In these areas, I-15 will be reduced to one lane, 24/7, spanning approximately two miles at a time for both northbound and southbound lanes. As the work progresses, the closures will move along with it. These closures are expected to last until December.
“We understand that this closure could cause major delays for those who use this section of the highway,” Hopkins told The Progress. “And we know that a lot of area residents in your communities travel that route quite often. So we wanted to keep folks updated on what is going on there.”
This work is part of an ongoing project to widen the interstate between Speedway Blvd and the U.S. 93 interchange. It is considered a critical step in enhancing the safety and efficiency of the regional transportation system.
“Over the long term, this will significantly improve traffic flow, reduce congestion, and enhance safety for everyone who uses this important stretch of highway,” Hopkins said.
