I-15 ramp exits moving as part of highway project

By Kyle B. Hansen

Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 | 2 a.m.

Another group of ramp exits on Interstate 15 in the southern valley are moving.

Motorists on northbound I-15 who use the Tropicana Avenue and Russell Road exits will have to leave the freeway earlier than they used to once the new ramp configuration is in place late Sunday.

Tropicana and Russell, and Frank Sinatra Drive will now share one exit, about a quarter-mile south of the old Russell Road exit. Motorists headed to Russell will need to stay right on the exit, while those going to Tropicana will stay to the left on the new access road.

Transportation officials say the new access roads will make travel on I-15 safer and faster since traffic will have to do less weaving in the main travel lanes around freeway exits and entrances.

These new roads are part of the I-15 Design-Build South project, which is widening the freeway from Silverado Ranch Boulevard to Tropicana. The $246.5 million project began in February 2010 and is scheduled to end in March 2012.

In addition to the ramp changes this weekend, project officials said the right lane of the northbound freeway will be closed from Sunday to Dec. 6, and there will be brief intermittent lane and ramp closures through the whole project area nightly from Sunday to Dec. 6.