LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — If you drive the Desert Inn Super Arterial — the section of Desert Inn Road between Valley View and Paradise that goes over I-15 and underneath Las Vegas Boulevard — then you've probably seen recently placed temporary traffic signs alerting drivers of some upcoming overnight closures through the DI tunnel.
In fact, I had several viewers and folks at Channel 13 reach out to me earlier this week asking about them and what that means for their commutes, so I followed up with Clark County Public Works to get some answers ahead of the long MLK Day weekend, so you can be prepared to start next week.
WATCH | Overnight closures coming to Desert Inn tunnel next week
DI is a vital connection for locals to get in and around the Las Vegas Strip — one of them is Robbie Evans who works on the Strip, and has had to deal with ongoing road work on Desert Inn on his way to and from work for the last few months, as the county's been working on their tunnel lighting improvement project, which I previously reported on last September.
"I drive through it every day," Evans told me on Friday. "The ride home's crucial, I'm not going to lie — it goes from like a 12 minute drive, to a 15 to 20 minute drive."
However, there has been zero construction or lane restrictions through the tunnel for the last several weeks — the new lighting has seemed operational and a huge improvement compared to what it was before.
"I would say it's a lot brighter, you know what I mean?" Evans told me. "I used to ride through there and it was super dark all the time, now you can see the sidewalks and it's lit to the sides."
Another closure through the DI Super Arterial is a big deal, since so many locals rely on it for their commutes — like a lot of us, I thought the project was mostly done, so this caught me by surprise.
Clark County Public Works crews told me the closures on Desert Inn will be overnight next Monday January 19 and Tuesday January 20, from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. between Valley View and Paradise, which is the entire length of the arterial.
WATCH | Your Problem Solver Traffic guide
On Monday, the eastbound lanes of DI will close at 9 p.m. from Valley View to Paradise and reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, while the westbound lanes stay open.
Tuesday night will see the westbound lanes close at 9 p.m. between Paradise and Valley View until 5 a.m. Wednesday morning.
For both closures, Spring Mountain is your best east-west alternate route over I-15 and across Las Vegas Boulevard.
The closures should be lifted by 5 a.m. each day, but we've seen similar closures last longer before, so you should be prepared for these detours on your morning commutes on Tuesday and Wednesday, just in case.
Local Robbie Evans says he doesn't mind a detour for a couple of days, even though he works nights and this will be a bump in the road on his commute next week.
"I personally feel like the more construction, the better the roads are — especially here in Vegas," Evans told me. "They've been working on roads here for what feels like forever — if they're gonna get fixed, then hey, I'll take it."
I'm always keeping an eye on our roads to help you get around town. If you have a question about traffic or road construction in your neighborhood, I'd be glad to look into it! You can email me directly at Guy.Tannenbaum@KTNV.com.
