ST. GEORGE – A new interchange opens Thursday on Interstate 15 in Mesquite, Nevada, that will provide better heavy truck access to the city’s budding technology and commerce center and alleviate congestion and improve safety at other Interstate access points through the small but growing city located between St. George and Las Vegas.
The new interchange includes a four-lane bridge over I-15 along with a new four-lane approach roadway north of the I-15 corridor between the new bridge and West Pioneer Boulevard.
Meadow Valley Contractors used an archway design for the interchange, rather than a traditional bridge overpass. The archway design is the first of its kind to be used on Interstate 15.
In addition to the unique engineering design, the city said in its news release, the artwork and landscaping for the project will catch drivers’ eyes.
On one side of the archways, artwork depicts the surrounding mesas; on the other side, the Virgin Mountains. The Virgin River and local plants and animals are also represented in the project.
City officials chose Meadow Valley Contractors Inc. for the project in September 2015 with the construction project creating 190 jobs.
The project supports improved connectivity to the 800-acre master-planned Mesquite Technology and Commerce Center which is the location of numerous technology, industrial, distribution and manufacturing businesses.
The technology and commerce center helps the Mesquite economy, the city’s news release said, by creating new jobs, diversifying the local economy and keeping consumer dollars local.
Improvements to the I-15 Exit 120 interchange, which serves Mesquite’s casinos, were completed about four years ago and are working well, Mesquite Mayor Al Litman said in an earlier interview. However, Exit 120 is not designed for heavy truck traffic.
One large tenant of the industrial park, the Do It Best Corporation distribution center, will benefit greatly from the new interchange.
“For them not to have to use the roundabout would be a blessing, of course,” Litman said.
The Do It Best Corporation is a large cooperative of hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards. The Mesquite distribution center is 1 of 8 in the United States.
Total project costs for the new interchange were about $20 million, with the actual construction cost of $14.7 million paid for by fuel revenue indexing funds. Nevada Department of Transportation also contributed to the project.
Fuel revenue indexing funds come from a gasoline surcharge that costs an average driver in Clark County, Nevada, 10 cents a day, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
Event details
- What: Grand opening of Exit 118 on Interstate 15 in Mesquite.
- When: Thursday, July 21 at 9 a.m. PDT.
- Where: Off of West Pioneer Boulevard near the interchange; parking will be available.
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.
“For them not to have to use the roundabout would be a blessing, of course, Litman said.” Good for Mesquite! Hello, St George…I’m sure you’ve been through the Bloomington roundabouts with the adjacent truck stop in the northeast corner. I’m not sure what we can do about the RVs from California who try to navigate the roundabouts in the wrong direction, however. I admit that, with the local topography, perhaps not much can be done with the situation in Bloomington.
Roundabouts are not a good idea in any case in my opinion. They may be the norm in Europe, but there are also not many trucks hauling campers/atv trailers/boats or all of the above in those ancient cities. It’s a dumb idea in this area of the country.