CORRIDORS OF THE FUTURE
Fact Sheet

CORRIDOR: Interstate 15 (I-15) - California to Utah

Submitted by:

The Western States Coalition: Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah

Corridors of the Future funding:

• $5 million under the Highways for Life program for the pavement rehabilitation project near the City of Ontario in Riverside County, California.
• $10 million under the Public Lands Highways discretionary program for the I-15/Interstate 215 North to Apex Interchange in Nevada.

Project Description:

The application focuses on passenger and freight movement improvements to the I-15 corridor from San Diego, California at the junction of Interstate 5 through to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2005, Union Pacific Railroad opened the country's third largest intermodal rail yard just outside Salt Lake City.

The proposed projects include capacity and operational improvements on both the highway and the rail portions of the corridor, including an ITS truck parking initiative; interchange reconstruction and modification; and road and bridge preservation. The overarching goal is a managed corridor for safe travel, sustained traffic flow, and reliable travel times. It includes two projects, the DesertXpress and the Commercial Corridor around Las Vegas, that have the potential to generate their own revenue streams as toll facilities and significantly limit the amount of public sector funds needed for these projects.

Status:

Most of the projects needed along this corridor are in various stages of development that range from preliminary feasibility and project initiation studies to environmental studies and clearance phases. Further, a number of the innovative public private partnerships will require legislative changes in a number of the states that are part of this proposal.

Corridor Statistics:

The I-15 corridor through the states of California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah is over 840 miles with approximately 220 miles traversing through urban areas. Currently, the average daily traffic throughout the entire corridor is over 56,000 with a maximum over 250,000. Average daily truck traffic is over 9,000 with a maximum over 60,000. Among the 220 mile urban segments, over 60 percent is currently under heavy congestion.

Without any further improvement to the corridor, the projected 2035 average daily traffic will be over 150,000 which includes over 27,000 trucks. By 2035, 98 percent of urban segments will be under heavy congestion. Congestion for non-urban segments will increase from the current 21 percent to over 85 percent.

Press Release: U.S. Department of Transportation Names Six Interstate Routes as "Corridors of the Future" to Help Fight Traffic Congestion, I-95, I-70, I-15, I-5, I-10, and I-69 selected, 9/10/07

FHWA Press Room