Former Interstate 515 Nevada

Overview

Interstate 515 overlaid the Las Vegas Expressway / Oran K. Gragson Freeway south from I-15 and Downtown Las Vegas to Henderson. U.S. 93 and U.S. 95 accompanied the commuter route from I-11 and I-215 (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) northward on the Henderson bypass to the Spaghetti Bowl interchange with Interstate 15. The Oran K. Gragson Freeway continues west toward Summerlin and north to Centennial in Las Vegas as U.S. 95.

Traffic reporters in Las Vegas generally referred to Interstate 515 as U.S. 95, and many business maps, such as those found in newspaper advertisements, erroneously showed this road as Interstate 95. I-515 used the mileposts for U.S. 95, so the exit numbers referenced the distance from the California border, south of Searchlight.

Formally established by Congress in 2012, the Interstate 11 corridor joining the Phoenix and Las Vegas areas overlays U.S. 93 northwest from the Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge by Hoover Dam to the Boulder City Bypass, which fully opened by October 2018. I-11 was completed northwest from U.S. 95 to Foothills Drive in Henderson on January 27, 2018. Sign changes subsequently renumbered the southernmost extent of I-515 as I-11 following the opening of the new southbound lanes at Railroad Pass on August 15, 2017. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the establishment of Interstate 11 from the Arizona state line to I-215 on May 29, 2014.

The continuation of Interstate 11 north from Henderson replaced the remainder of I-515 to I-15 by Downtown Las Vegas. Alternatively the corridor could have used the Bruce Woodbury Beltway (I-215) west or followed a new terrain alignment around Henderson and Nellis Air Force Base to I-15 northeast of Las Vegas. AASHTO approved the northward extension of I-11 to SR 157 (Kyle Canyon Road) in northwestern Las Vegas in October 2022. The remainder of Interstate 515 was decommissioned as a result.

Mileage by State

Nevada

20.54 mi

Data Sources

December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

History

Interstate 515 was first established by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO) on July 13, 1976 for a short stretch of the Las Vegas Expressway (U.S. 95) linking I-15 east with U.S. 93 (Las Vegas Boulevard) at Downtown. The route was however not signed, and remained on paper only as the Las Vegas Expressway was lengthened further south toward Henderson. Signs were observed for Interstate 515 and the Oran K. Gragson Expressway by site contributor Cary Todd in 1993. The Henderson bypass portion of I-515 was finished in 1995.

North End  ‐ Las Vegas, NV

North at

I-515/U.S. 93-95 elevate around the north side of Downtown Las Vegas on a viaduct over N Las Vegas Boulevard (former SR 604) on the one mile approach to Exits 76A/B with Interstate 15. 07/22/17

South at

U.S. 95 (Oran K. Gragson Freeway) heads five miles east from SR 613 (Summerlin Parkway) to the Spaghetti Bowl Interchange with I-15/515. 03/09/19

North at

Exit 42A constitutes separate flyovers for both U.S. 95 (Oran K. Gragson Freeway) northwest toward Summerlin and Centennial and parallel Martin Luther King Boulevard just to the west. U.S. 95 extends north from I-515 along a freeway 17 miles to SR 157 (Kyle Canyon Road). 03/04/19

South at

1.5 miles north of the Spaghetti Bowl Interchange with U.S. 95 (Oran K. Gragson Freeway) and Interstate 515 south on I-15/U.S. 93 at the N 5th Street overpass in North Las Vegas. 03/03/19

North End – Past Views

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

South at

Exit 76B for I-15 south to Los Angeles previously departed just ahead of the Martin Luther King Boulevard underpass. A c/d roadway for I-15 was constructed during expansion of U.S. 95 (Oran K. Gragson Freeway). Photo by Jeff Royston (12/00).

North at

The Spaghetti Bowl Interchange joining I-15 north with I-515 and U.S. 93/95 was previously reconstructed through August 2000. 11/11/00

South End  ‐ Henderson, NV

South at

I-515/U.S. 93-95 meet I-215 (Bruce Woodbury Beltway) west and SR 564 (Lake Mead Parkway) south at the Henderson Bowl Intercahnge just south of Auto Show Drive (Exit 62). 03/07/19

East at

Interstate 215 east concludes at the four level interchange with I-11 south, I-515 north and SR 564 (Lake Mead Parkway) in a half mile. 03/01/19

West at

State Route 564 travels 8.41 miles southwest from the south boundary of Lake Mead Recreational Area to the Henderson Bowl Interchange joining I-215 with I-11 south to Boulder City and I-515/U.S. 93-95 north to Downtown Las Vegas. 07/27/17

Former South End  ‐ Henderson, NV

Past Views Gallery (Tap to Expand / Collapse Section)

A long off-ramp connects SR 582 (Boulder Highway) with I-515/U.S. 93-95 south ahead of the Wagonwheel Drive overpass. I-515 ended in one mile, with U.S. 93/95 shifting onto the new travel lanes of Interstate 11 south through Railroad Pass. 07/12/15