Nominee: Innovative Management – Small Project Drivers are cruising along a 5.5-mile stretch of notoriously congested Interstate 15 near Las Vegas thanks to the innovative traffic solution completed by the Nevada Department of Transportation. NDOT and its contractor constructed a fifth lane in each direction by using the existing road shoulders, requiring no additional right of way. The two left lanes were then converted into express lanes, separated from three general-use lanes by pavement striping and three-foot-high “candlestick” delineators. This area was designed for 130,000 vehicles daily but now handles over 270,000 vehicles. Thanks to the $22 million project, through traffic can now make the 5.5-mile journey from Russell Road to Sahara Avenue in the designated express lanes, greatly reducing weaving, merging and congestion, while also decreasing emissions from idling vehicles, improving air quality and fuel efficiency. |
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