Length 33.06 km | Constructed 12 July 1976 | |
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Existed: July 12, 1976 – present History: Approved on July 12, 1976; Opened in stages 1982–1994; Signed in 1994 North end: I‑15 / US 93 / US 95 in Las Vegas | ||
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.
Contents
Map of I-515, Nevada, USA
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.
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). On December 7, 1984, AASHTO approved the southeasterly extension of the route to its current terminus near Boulder City. 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
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.
Exit list
Exits on I-515 are numbered according to US 95 mileposts. The entire route is in Clark County.