The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) began installing the first of 52 Active Traffic Management (ATM) signs on a portion of U.S. 95 last week. The installations will continue through July 2019 and will feature intermittent lane closures.
The signs are part of the almost $1 billion Project Neon, which is a 3.7-mile-long widening of I-15 from the U.S. 95 interchange to Sahara Avenue.
The steel gantry-supported ATM signs will initially go up in groups of three, in areas surrounding the busiest traffic area in town.
The ATM signs will be placed near D Street, Washington Avenue, Bonanza Road, Desert Inn Road, Spring Mountain Road, and Twain Avenue on Interstate 15 and at Rancho Drive, Avalon Circle, Valley View Boulevard, Seventh Street, Casino Center Drive and City Parkway on U.S. 95. The ATM signs will stretch to Silverado Ranch Boulevard on Interstate 15 by the completion of Project Neon.
The largest signs resemble auxiliary scoreboards found in ballparks and stadiums, measuring 13 ft tall by 77 ft wide, according to Illia.
In addition to the large video screens above the highways, new digital speed-limit signs will go up on the sides of the freeway next to most ATM signs. The speed-limit signs will give NDOT the ability to modify speed limits in an instant if a crash or a road hazard occurs.
The most important aspect of new high-tech signage is increased safety, especially for out-of-town drivers.