Shhh! Noisy stretch of 215 in south Las Vegas to become calmer

Motorists who travel along the noisy, rumbling stretch of the 215 Beltway from the Harry Reid Airport Connector to Interstate 15 may soon have a more peaceful drive.

Although the demise of the stretch won’t happen right away, its days are numbered.

The Nevada Department of Transportation plans to repave a stretch of 215 between Windmill Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. The $18.95 million project is set to begin May 19 and wrap up in the winter. The portion of 215 includes ramps to and from Las Vegas Boulevard, the Harry Reid Airport Connector, Warm Springs Road and Windmill.

A portion of 215 westbound from near the Airport Connector on-ramp to Las Vegas Boulevard has several tiny lines in the road that create a loud, rumbling sound when motorists drive over them. The noisy road has been the subject of emails to the Road Warrior over the years.

Work on the project includes crew removing the 1-inch layer of existing asphalt and replacing it with a new 1-inch layer of crumb rubber overlay.

“This work will smooth out the driving surface and eliminate any potential noise caused by the current roadway’s lines and joints,” NDOT spokeswoman Kelsey McFarland said in an email.

When work is underway drivers can expect intermittent lane, ramp and shoulder closures, McFarland said.

“Most of which will take place overnight to minimize disruption,” McFarland said.

The project also includes structure upgrades and ADA enhancements along the stretch.

Separately, as part of Clark County’s $85 million widening project, the 215 will be repaved between Interstate 15 and Decatur. The stretch has seen significant wear over the years, with several potholes on the road in the project’s area.

The project includes adding one lane in each direction along the stretch, bringing the total to five lanes in both eastbound and westbound directions.

The project also included the construction of a new bridge to create a braided off-ramp to Decatur for westbound traffic, a bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad and updates to the Valley View Boulevard bridge.

The beltway between St. Rose Parkway/Pecos Road and Windmill was previously widened and repaved in a project that wrapped up in 2021.

Work farther north on the beltway continues with the $130 million, three-year 215/Summerlin Parkway interchange project, which kicked off in February.

The latest traffic impacts associated with the project include the closure of one lane and the shoulder’s closure on 215 northbound between Far Hills Avenue and Lake Mead Boulevard; one lane and the shoulder closed on 215 southbound between Lake Mead and Summerlin Parkway; and two lanes and the shoulder closed between Summerlin Parkway and Far Hills.

As part of the project four new roadway bridges are slated to be constructed, the existing Summerlin Parkway bridge will be widened and three bicycle-pedestrian trail bridges will be added.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.