First new Spaghetti Bowl ramp greets commuters

Thursday, April 1, 1999 | 10:50 a.m.

The evening commute to the northwest side of Las Vegas will be a little easier today after a new two-lane ramp opened connecting Interstate 15 northbound and U.S. 95 northbound.

The ramp is the first milestone in the $92 million overhaul of the Spaghetti Bowl, the interchange between the city's two major freeways.

Four more bridges will be built before the project is completed in fall 2000.

After a delay of 15 working days because of high winds and design changes, the ramp opened on time with a ribbon-cutting at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The exit did not open for traffic until 1:30 this morning, after all the barriers were removed.

The old one-lane exit was still open this morning so that commuters who missed the new exit, which comes several hundred feet before the old one, could still get to U.S. 95.

The old exit will remain open until Sunday night to give drivers time to get used to the new ramp, Bob McKenzie, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said.

Traffic flow seemed to be smooth this morning, McKenzie said, but the real test was expected during this afternoon's rush hour.

High winds that kicked up in the Las Vegas Valley Wednesday and continued lightly today appeared not to create problems for drivers on the span, which is 50 feet high at its highest point, McKenzie said.

The new span is 2,438 feet long and was made from 198 precast segments put into place by the giant crane that has become a staple of the Las Vegas skyline.