The I-15 Corridor serves the western United States by linking southern California and Salt Lake City, Utah and continues north. The I-15 Corridor also serves the Las Vegas Valley as a primary transportation link through central Las Vegas. PROJECT NEON is studying potential improvements to the section of I-15 from just south of the Sahara Avenue Interchange to the I-515/US-95 system to system interchange, commonly known as the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl.

The initial step in transportation planning is to identify a need. The need for PROJECT NEON is driven by the significant population growth in the Las Vegas Valley that is projected to increase by approximately 60 percent from 2003 to 2030. This growth will increase traffic volumes and local commuter traffic passing through this corridor. The projected population growth, associated development, and increasing tourism and gaming will place significant demand on the I-15 Corridor and connections to US 95.

PROJECT NEON utilizes advanced traffic planning technology to study and forecast the potential traffic volumes in 2030. The figures below illustrate the congestions of the existing Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard Interchanges in 2030 if future improvements are not planned. This technology will be utilized in development of the potential alternatives to confirm that alternatives meet the appropriate level of service.