Detours on I-15 could be huge for near future

Motorists traveling between Southern Nevada and Southern

Utah on Interstate 15 should brace for a possible 224-mile detour for the next two years.

Lane restrictions began last week on a stretch of I-15 in Arizona on Virgin Bridge No. 1 as part of a $56 million bridge replacement project. The restrictions are slated to be in place until the spring of 2023, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced earlier this month.

ADOT advises motorists should be prepared to stop and travel through the around-the-clock work zone, located between mileposts 8 and 9, with caution.

The affected stretch of I-15 near Littlefield, Arizona, will be reduced to one lane in each direction across the bridge. The speed limit will be limited to 45 mph in the work zone.

A vehicle width limit of 10 feet and a weight limit of 129,000 pounds also will be in place. Vehicles that exceed those limits will be required to take the 224-mile detour.

ADOT rolled out a new Virgin River Bridge smartphone app to assist motorists in navigating the road project. The app is available on both Apple and Android devices.

Signage and the app will direct oversize vehicles to the detour route of U.S. Highway 93, Nevada state Route 319 and Utah state Route 56 between Las Vegas and Cedar City, Utah.

Information from the app also is available on GPS navigation apps such as Waze.

The project began in February and is planned to wrap up in 2024.