Design-build case study project neon NDOT

Project Neon, a design-build (D-B) highway construction project in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the largest public works project in Nevada history. The project widened 3.7 miles of Interstate 15 (I-15) between Sahara Avenue and what is referred to as the "Spaghetti Bowl" interchange in downtown Las Vegas. This stretch of I-15 is the busiest stretch of highway in Nevada carrying approximately 300,000 vehicles daily. Noise impacts were identified in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project that would be abated by constructing noise barriers. The EIS noise barriers were conceptual and were substantially refined during the D-B effort to provide the noise reductions committed to in the EIS. This paper describes some of the challenges with implementing the abatement measures into the design and lessons learned from this process.