Vital ramp on track to open by March 31

Scott Reeder

Monday, March 22, 1999 | 10:58 a.m.

The biggest traffic headache in Las Vegas will begin to fade later this month.

The first stage of the Spaghetti Bowl improvements may come on line by March 31. But the completion date for this segment of the project could be a little later if the weather doesn't cooperate or if engineering problems arise.

Right now, Nevada Department of Transportation officials anticipate that the ramp linking northbound Interstate 15 with westbound U.S. 95 will open late this month. In late April, the ramp linking eastbound U.S. 95 with southbound I-15 will open.

"Without a doubt, these two ramps are the most important," NDOT spokesman Robert McKenzie said.

"The reason for this is that it connects the Strip with the northwest valley, where more and more people are moving. Without a doubt, those ramps are the most heavily used on the interchange."

According to the transportation department, when the Spaghetti Bowl was originated in 1969 it was designed to handle fewer than 30,000 vehicles a day. Now, on a typical day, more than 330,000 vehicles use it.

When the $115 million interchange upgrade is complete in October 2000, it will be able to handle 375,000 cars.

As most Las Vegans know, a rush-hour trip through the Spaghetti Bowl is an exercise in aggravation. Bumper-to-bumper traffic typically edges its way through the interchange's curves.

"When the first ramp opens, the difference will be like night and day," Tom Patton, project manager for Meadow Valley Contractors, said.

"The days of traffic backups on northbound I-15 will be over. This is really a remarkable accomplishment -- the engineering that went into this ramp is really very new."

About 90 percent of the funding for the highway portion of the interchange (excluding flood control) came from the federal government, NDOT's Scott Magruder said. The state paid the remaining 10 percent, he said.

The project is being constructed in a manner different from any other in the history of the state.

Some of the overpasses in the project are being constructed with precast concrete segments. By using precast pieces, which are put in place with a special crane, existing traffic lanes do not have to be closed for extended periods as they would if conventional construction methods were employed, Patton said.

The last segment of the ramp linking northbound I-15 to westbound U.S. 95 was laid Thursday.

A Norwegian company custom-built the enormous yellow crane being used on the project to place the concrete pieces in place, Patton said.

Patton has said this particular construction method is common overseas, but it is not used very much in the United States because it is more expensive.

By using the crane and precast segments, Meadow Valley can avoid erecting an elaborate system of scaffolding that would force long-term closures of existing ramps.