LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It’s a sign of the times, U.S. 95 signposts have been changed to Interstate 11 at one Las Vegas intersection so far, but more alterations are coming.
Drivers merging into westbound and eastbound traffic at the Spaghetti Bowl might notice their GPS will inform them they are on I-11, the designation stretching from the Henderson Interchange to Kyle Canyon Road.
The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) responded to 8 News Now and noted the department does inform app services like Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze of upcoming restrictions and closures, but changing the name of an interstate is new.
“There is currently no established framework for communication on something like this,” Kelsey McFarland, an NDOT spokesperson, wrote in an email to 8 News Now. “Because changing the name of an interstate is a brand-new effort.”
McFarland noted that although the GPS services have redesignated the freeway’s name, NDOT did not directly inform Google or Apple.
A public information campaign is expected to be launched by NDOT to clear up any confusion about the name redesignation and will consist of updates to GPS service providers.
The Federal Highway Administration accepted the redesignation in late 2023, according to an NDOT spokesperson.
Physical signage has been redesignated to reflect the correct designation on Charleston Boulevard, however, many other locations in the Las Vegas valley are still in need of alterations.
“There’s much more to be done,” McFarland wrote. “With hundreds of signs awaiting replacement, especially across surface streets and other highways in Southern Nevada.”
McFarland wrote the initiative does not come without a need for analysis as NDOT is also using this as an opportunity to discover possible improvements to meet Interstate Standards.
“We’re actively engaged in a feasibility study to identify necessary upgrades,” she wrote.
Upgrades also pertain to the next section of road to be reclassified, as NDOT seeks to further stretch I-11 from Kyle Canyon Road to Mercury, Nevada.
NDOT has scheduled a public meeting for the project on June 25, located in Indian Springs, and a virtual session on June 10.
