Las Vegas Centennial Bowl Interchange Begins Next Phase of Construction
LAS VEGAS, NV – Ground was recently broken on the next phase of construction of the Centennial Bowl interchange, the project spearheaded by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) aimed at making traffic smoother and safer in the northwest Las Vegas region.
This newest phase of the Centennial Bowl interchange project – located where the 215 Beltway intersects with U.S. Highway 95 – is budgeted at $73 million, with officials noting that upon completion, it will enhance the safety of motorists as well as the overall flow of traffic in the area while creating an easier and more direct conduit for the Centennial area of Las Vegas.
At the moment, well over 100,000 vehicles a day traverse this section of the highway, and with that number expected to increase as the population of Southern Nevada continues to grow in light of the booming economy, job, and real estate market as of late; reports peg the traffic levels rising as high as 160,000 vehicles a day in just a few years, if not more.
The general contractor of the project has been announced as Las Vegas Paving, who was awarded a $61.5 million contract for the construction.
Construction will yield three new connections in the form of freeway flyover ramps- northbound U.S. Highway 95 to 215 Beltway westbound, southbound U.S. Highway 95 to eastbound 215 Beltway, and eastbound 215 Beltway to U.S. Highway 95 southbound. Flyover ramps allow ongoing traffic to maintain their currently level of speed and acceleration while offering direct connections from one freeway to another, as opposed to standard entrance ramps that often present bottlenecks for incoming vehicles looking to merge. The Centennial Bowl interchange will, ultimately, offer more efficiency and safer conditions while maintaining speed rates for motorists by doing away with the right-of-way and stop-and-go nature of the current freeway layout.
The main bridge that will make up the central structure of the project will be the second-longest in Nevada, measuring 2,635 feet long, 75 feet tall, and 39 feet wide.
In addition to the new flyover lanes, other work will be undertaken upon the surrounding area in the form of drainage updates to reduce the risk of flooding during inclement weather as well as enhanced lighting to increase safety and visibility, improved landscaping for aesthetic purposes (as well as to ensure that local foliage doesn’t impede the view of motorists), and the implementation of new technology-based traffic management and surveillance systems.
The Centennial Bowl interchange is expected to offer up to 150 new opportunities for employment during the main phase of construction, the costs of which are being covered through a combination of state ($54 million) and federal ($19 million) funding. This phase of the Centennial Bowl interchange construction is expected to be completed in mid-2021.
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