NDOT Launches $22 Million SafeTech Project on I-11, Bringing Nightly Closures to Central Valley

LAS VEGAS, NV — State transportation officials are urging valley commuters to prepare for ongoing nightly lane restrictions and significant delays following the official launch of a multi-million dollar technology initiative across the central freeway grid.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), in coordination with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), officially broke ground on the I-11 SafeTech Corridor Project. The $22 million infrastructure investment aims to expand advanced traffic management, collision mitigation, and real-time transit safety infrastructure along one of Southern Nevada’s busiest corridors.

The SafeTech Structural Footprint

The project spans approximately five miles of Interstate 11 (I-11)/U.S. Route 95 (U.S. 95) between the Summerlin Parkway junction and the downtown Spaghetti Bowl interchange. Funded through a combination of federal, state, and regional local transportation allocations, the initiative is designed to drastically improve real-time operations and congestion safety management.

Crucially, the primary safety component of the project introduces 12 standalone Wrong-Way Driver Alert Systems. The specialized, high-visibility warning grids will be deployed symmetrically at six high-traffic valley interchanges: Martin Luther King Boulevard, Rancho Drive, Valley View Boulevard, Decatur Boulevard, Jones Boulevard, and Rainbow Boulevard. Two alert systems will protect each interchange, utilizing radar and video sensors to catch errant drivers and flash lower-level strobe beacons to stop vehicles before they can enter the mainline freeway lanes against traffic.

Additionally, crews will erect foundations for future Active Traffic Management (ATM) overhead gantries and construct two specialized Strategic Traffic Management Sites for law enforcement staging and rapid incident response operations.

The Nightly Closure and Traffic Plan

To ensure motorist and worker safety, heavy construction vehicles began deploying concrete safety barriers and staging equipment over the weekend. Motorists navigating the five-mile corridor must navigate the following scheduled road adjustments, which are active Sunday through Friday mornings:

HOV Lane Shut Down: High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are completely closed in both directions along I-11/U.S. 95 between Rancho Drive and Rainbow Boulevard. The closure remains active 24/7 through September to facilitate the installation of gantry foundations.
Overnight Lane Reductions: Standard travel lanes will see intermittent, phased lane reductions down to a single open travel lane in both directions between Rancho and Rainbow during the nightly construction window, running from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM.

NDOT officials advise drivers to expect heavy intermittent delays or utilize alternative arterial roadways like Charleston Boulevard or Sahara Avenue during overnight travel windows. While initial safety barriers, concrete rail improvements, and gantry foundation pilings will roll out over the summer, full project elements—including final ATM electronic screen integration—will continue in phases through 2027 due to manufacturing lead times.

Source: Nevada Department of Transportation Capital Projects Press Registry, Regional Transportation Commission Southern Nevada Transit Management Log.