Landscape upgrades revealed for I-15

Heather Rawlyk

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

The Nevada Department of Transportation at an open meeting Tuesday afternoon gave valley residents a first look into a plan to beautify landscapes alongside Interstate 15.

The Interstate 15 Landscape and Aesthetics Corridor Plan, which includes the interstate from the California border in Primm to the Arizona Border in Mesquite, and portions of U.S. 95 and State Route 157, features aesthetic enhancements such as Mojave Desert garden planting, revegetation with native grasses, scenic preservation and improvement, and added roadside rest areas.

"People see the 215 and I-15 exchange and the land looks like moonscape," said Ron Blakemore, supervising landscape architect for NDOT. "We don't want to see that. We want to take the landscape around the I-15 and make something beautiful."

In addition to improving roadside aesthetics, NDOT is planning to create welcome centers at both the California and Arizona borders, which will provide travelers with restrooms, maps and information about the state.

Another idea is to add gateways to direct drivers from I-15 to the Strip, said Richard Shaw, principal for the design workshop.

"We're thinking of adding these gateways on Russell Road, Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road to give people some direction," Shaw said.

The plan also includes the designation of select points of interest along the interstate, Shaw said.

"These viewpoints will be marked off and describe the different fascinating elements of the Valley that people don't know about," he said. "Ghost towns, hot springs and historical things like that will be marked off and pointed out."

Mojave Desert native plants will be used to soften sound walls and provide a more "visually pleasing" roadway for travelers, Shaw added.

"We want to do something with these sound walls that unify them," he said. "We could do this through unified landscaping or matching colors. It's simple things like this that make a difference."

NDOT is contracted with the University of Nevada Las Vegas to study ways to maintain the added aesthetics once they are installed, Shaw said.

Several road corridor trash clean-up areas will be designated throughout the interstate to help maintain the landscapes, he said.

If planning runs smoothly, the aesthetic improvements will begin as early as next summer, Blakemore said.

For more information about the NDOT Landscape and Aesthetics Master Plan, visit the Web site www.ndothighways. org.