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26-622: State Route 159 has two distinct segments. The first segment is a rural two-lane highway that begins at its junction with SR 160 . The highway proceeds northwest through the town of Blue Diamond towards Spring Mountain Ranch State Park . From there, the highway curves northeast around Red Rock Canyon to the Las Vegas city limits west of the Las Vegas Beltway . This segment of SR 159 is known on maps and signs as Blue Diamond Road (assuming

52-553: Is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Nevada that begins in Primm , continues through Las Vegas and it crosses the border with Arizona in Mesquite . Within the state, the freeway runs entirely in Clark County . The highway was built along the corridor of the older U.S. Route 91 (US 91) and Arrowhead Trail , eventually replacing both of these roads. The entire route of I-15

78-691: Is designated the Las Vegas Freeway . Motorists in California begin a long descent through Ivanpah Valley and Ivanpah Dry Lake . I-15 crosses the Nevada state line at the first exit, Primm . Once I-15 leaves Primm, the route travels north through the desert with few services. The highway then enters the Las Vegas urban area upon passing the State Route ;146 (SR 146, Saint Rose Parkway) interchange. From Silverado Ranch Boulevard to US 95 ,

104-843: The Big Stan drill rig. Due to heavy traffic, there are plans by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and NDOT to widen I-15 in both directions from both US 395 in Hesperia and I-40 in Barstow to I-215 in Enterprise . In 2020, Brightline signed a 50-year lease for use of the I-15 right-of-way between Victor Valley and the Las Vegas Valley for use in their Brightline West high-speed rail service. The entire route

130-734: The Clark County ;215 beltway. Once I-15 leaves North Las Vegas, the freeway travels northeast and crosses the Muddy River at Glendale and then climbs up onto the Mormon Mesa . At Mesquite , the freeway then crosses the Arizona state line and cuts through the extreme northwestern corner of Arizona through the Virgin River Gorge before entering Utah . The general location of the I-15 corridor through Nevada can be traced as far back as

156-624: The Arizona state line. Both of these sections were completed in 1974. The US 91 designation, which had remained on its original alignment during the construction of the Interstate, was made redundant by the new freeway and was removed in 1974. Between Las Vegas and the California state line, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) added call boxes at one-mile (1.6 km) intervals in

182-558: The California state line. Nevada's 1927 official highway map reflects the routing of the final 1926 plan; however, a few maps from the era indicate the original proposal. US 91 / SR 6 began at Primm and followed the Los Angeles Highway toward Las Vegas. Within the city limits, it ran along Fifth Street (now Las Vegas Boulevard ) through downtown and into North Las Vegas, where it departed from 5th at Main Street. Exiting

208-469: The Las Vegas area to the northeast, US 91 became the Salt Lake Highway and then headed toward Apex and Glendale . The highway then curved east-northeast before following present-day SR 170 through Riverside and Bunkerville into Mesquite. US 91 was routed through that city on Mesquite Boulevard, Sandhill Boulevard and Fairview Avenue before crossing the Arizona state line. By 1929,

234-707: The US ;91 corridor. The first section of the newly designated I-15 opened by 1960. This stretch extended from the California state line to just north of Sloan . In 1963, the new freeway reached the south end of the Las Vegas Valley at Blue Diamond Road, and more than 20 miles (32 km) south of Glendale was also finished. By 1967, I-15 had been constructed along the entire length of US 91 except through parts of Las Vegas and near Mesquite. The final sections of I-15 to be completed were in North Las Vegas and near

260-412: The alignment of US 91 / SR 6 was graded throughout much of the state, a distance of 129.5 miles (208.4 km). The route eventually gained two other highway overlaps. US 466 was christened in 1934, and was routed concurrently along US 91 from California to downtown Las Vegas before heading southeast to Hoover Dam (the route was deleted in 1971). Also, in 1936, US 93

286-635: The early 1900s. Regular automobile travel through southern Nevada was established by 1914 along the Arrowhead Trail , a road connecting Los Angeles and Salt Lake City . In 1919, the Nevada Legislature amended its newly adopted highway law to add SR 6, which was described as "Commencing at the Arizona line near Mesquite and running southwesterly over what is now known as the Arrow Head [sic] trail through Las Vegas to Jean, Nevada." Two years later,

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312-566: The freeway has HOV lanes that are currently enforced by both Metro and NHP , 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and is the only state within the nation to do so. The Interstate meets I-215 at the Southern Beltway Interchange, which provides access to Henderson and Harry Reid International Airport . Originally, this interchange was termed Son of Spaghetti Bowl by the Las Vegas Review-Journal when it

338-575: The highway ventures further east to intersect Interstate 11 and U.S. Routes 93 and 95 before reaching its terminus at Nellis Boulevard ( SR 612 ). (Charleston Boulevard itself ends about three miles (5 km) east of Nellis Boulevard near Frenchman Mountain .) A portion of Charleston Boulevard was previously designated U.S. Route 95 Alternate to bypass Downtown Las Vegas . The designation began at Fremont Street ( SR 582 ) and continued west to Rancho Drive ( SR 599 ), where it curved north to reconnect to US 95. The alternate route

364-412: The intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard. The project also reconstructed the ramps of the aging interchange, allowing for better traffic flow to and from I-15. The unused section of roadway is still visible. A section of SR 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump was closed on the weekend of November 4–5, 2017, for the attempt of a world record for the fastest production car . The Koenigsegg Agera RS broke

390-408: The mid-2000s, for motorists with vehicle problems and without cell phone service. This was done as part of a larger project that expanded this portion of the freeway to three travel lanes in each direction to coordinate with a similar effort in California. In August 2011, I-15 in southern Las Vegas was substantially expanded. This involved adding between 30 and 85% more capacity and involved the use of

416-448: The name from SR 160), but is also referred to as Red Rock Canyon Road . As SR 159 enters the city of Las Vegas, it transitions into Charleston Boulevard , a major east–west section line arterial bisecting the Las Vegas Valley. The highway crosses the Las Vegas Beltway and runs through the planned community of Summerlin . SR 159 continues east to intersect Interstate 15 and then passes south of Downtown Las Vegas . From there,

442-710: The record at 284.55 miles per hour (457.94 km/h), surpassing the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport . The same section of SR 160 was closed again on October 10, 2020 for another attempt of a world record for fastest production car, this time for the SSC Tuatara . Despite claims that the SSC Tuatara broke the record, the accuracy of this was subsequently challenged by various independent analysts. Interstate 15 in Nevada Interstate ;15 ( I-15 )

468-522: The route was revised to pass through Las Vegas and head "via Jean or Goodsprings to a junction with the California state highway system." US 91 was later proposed as part of the original 1925 U.S. Highway System plan. As originally proposed, US 91 would have followed SR 6 southwest from Mesquite to downtown Las Vegas, where it would then turn southeast along SR 5 to California via Searchlight . The revised 1926 plan had proposed US 91 follow SR 6 through Las Vegas and Jean to

494-462: The runway of an old airstrip built in 1941 by Ronald Wiley , former owner of Hidden Hills Ranch and namesake of the Ronald H. Wiley Archaeological Preserve . In 2007, SR 160 was realigned slightly over I-15 in southern Las Vegas. The highway was moved a short distance to the south between Valley View Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard, realigning the southeastern terminus with East Windmill Lane at

520-584: The southern Las Vegas Valley to U.S. Route 95 (US 95) northwest of the city via the Pahrump Valley . The southern part of the route sees heavy traffic, mostly due to Pahrump 's continued growth as a Las Vegas bedroom community. The route is known as Blue Diamond Road within the Las Vegas area, with the remainder referred to as the Pahrump Valley Highway . The route was originally part of State Route 16 prior to 1978. State Route 160 begins in

546-564: The southern Las Vegas metro area at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard (former SR 604 ) and East Windmill Lane. It runs west-southwest towards the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and over Mountain Springs Summit (elevation 5,502 feet (1,677 m)) before turning northwest towards Pahrump. Outside of Pahrump, SR 160 heads more north-northwest to reach its western terminus at US 95. SR 160

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572-421: Was absorbed into and redesignated US 95 on January 1, 1940. By 1976, the section from Pahrump to US 95 was designated as part of the newly created SR 160. The section from the California border to Pahrump remained as SR 16 until it was removed by 1982 and is now designated Old Route 16. However, satellite imagery indicates the former highway remains almost entirely unpaved and even passes through

598-461: Was built. I-15 travels along the west side of the Las Vegas Strip corridor and just west of downtown Las Vegas just before its junction with I-11 and US 95 (the " Spaghetti Bowl " interchange). Then, the Interstate enters North Las Vegas and continues to run roughly parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard (old US 91) as it leaves the Las Vegas urban limits near the northern junction with

624-518: Was discontinued in 1982. Approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) of SR 159 in Red Rock Canyon was designated a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995. The entire route is in Clark County . Current RTC Route 206 functions on this road. [REDACTED] Media related to Nevada State Route 159 at Wikimedia Commons Nevada State Route 160 State Route 160 ( SR 160 ) is a state highway in southern Nevada , United States. It connects

650-500: Was extended from its 1932 southern terminus at Glendale, over US 91 to downtown Las Vegas on its way to Hoover Dam. A new alignment of US 91 was completed in 1955. This bypassed both Bunkerville and Mesquite to the northwest, along what would become the future path of I-15. The original alignment through Bunkerville is now SR 170. The passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 quickly brought upgrades to

676-510: Was originally part of SR 16 from Pahrump north to US 95. SR 16 was one of Nevada's original state highways dating back to the 1920s. It began at the Nevada–California border in an area of Pahrump Valley near Cathedral Canyon , part of the historic Hidden Hills Ranch south of Pahrump, traveling north to Pahrump over Hidden Hills Ranch Road. From there, it continued north over present-day SSR 160 to meet SR 5, which

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