Extension into Nevada When the original plan for the
U.S. highway system was adopted by the
American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in 1926, US 95 was one of the routes created. At that time, however, the route only existed in
Idaho from the
Canada–United States border near
Eastport to
Weiser near the
Oregon state line. A proposal to extend US 95 south to
Winnemucca was considered by AASHO in 1937; however, action was deferred due to incomplete sections in Oregon. AASHO reconsidered the idea at its meeting on June 28, 1939, as part of a larger plan to extend the highway south to
Blythe, California. This plan was adopted, officially establishing US 95 throughout Nevada effective January 1, 1940. • From the Oregon state line at
McDermitt, US 95 followed
State Route 8 for to Winnemucca. • At Winnemucca, the route joined
U.S. Route 40 (
State Route 1), traveling southwest via
Lovelock to
Fernley. • In Fernley, US 95 followed
State Route 2 for to
Fallon (with a short overlap on
U.S. Route 50 west of Fallon). • The highway turned south at Fallon, running concurrently with the southern segment of
State Route 1A to
Schurz. • At Schurz, US 95 was routed along
State Route 3, zigzagging south and east through
Hawthorne,
Luning,
Coaldale,
Tonopah and
Goldfield (including an overlap with
U.S. Route 6 between Coaldale and Tonopah). • South of Goldfield, the highway overlapped the entire of
State Route 5, traveling southeast through
Beatty and
Indian Springs to
Las Vegas, joining
U.S. Route 93/
U.S. Route 466 through
Henderson to
Boulder City, then splitting from US 93/466 heading south through
Searchlight towards the
California state line en route to
Needles. The Nevada portion of US 95 covered a distance of approximately . The entire route was on paved roads, except for a small portion of SR 5 between the California state line and Searchlight. and the US 95 designation was moved over it by 1960. This new alignment eliminated the need to drive west to Fernley and then double back eastward, shortening the highway's length by about . When US 95 was realigned, the former route via Fernley was redesignated as
alternate route. This would be the second highway to bear this designation, as another
U.S. Route 95 Alternate had been created between Schurz and Fernley years earlier.
Improvements in the Las Vegas metro area When US 95 was extended through the Las Vegas Valley around 1940, it used the existing roadways traversed by State Route 5. Crossing the valley from the southeast, the U.S. highway traveled along Boulder Highway (now
SR 582) through Henderson and the town of
Whitney. Reaching the city limits of Las Vegas, the road changed names to
Fremont Street as it headed into downtown. The route followed
Las Vegas Boulevard northward briefly before going west on Bonanza Road (now
SR 579). US 95 finally turned northwest on Rancho Drive (now
SR 599), which became the Tonopah Highway as it traveled northwest out of the Vegas valley. Over the years, this routing of US 95 along city streets would slowly be replaced with newer, high-speed facilities.
Las Vegas Expressway Elected in 1959, Las Vegas mayor
Oran K. Gragson began advocating for regional street and planning initiatives in the growing Las Vegas Valley. In the early 1960s, Gragson had become instrumentally involved in planning what was then referred to as the "West Fremont Expressway". By 1968, the expressway was beginning to take shape, beginning
Downtown at Las Vegas Boulevard, interchanging with
Interstate 15 and spurring west toward Rancho Drive (present-day Exit 77). The
Las Vegas Expressway was slowly constructed over the next decade, reaching west to
Rainbow Boulevard by 1978. A northward extension, linking the expressway to the Tonopah Highway in
Centennial Hills, was completed around 1980. By 1982, US 95 was rerouted from Rancho Drive to the completed expressway alignment. Also in 1982, as the result of a petition drive, the new US 95 expressway was renamed to the "
Oran K. Gragson Expressway" in honor of the four-term mayor. ,
I-515 and
US 93 in
Las Vegas in 2015. I-515 was replaced by
I-11 in 2024.
Henderson spur The first part of the freeway to be opened that was not part of its 1968 route was the section between its then-eastern terminus (at Las Vegas Boulevard) and
Charleston Boulevard, in 1984. It was extended south to Boulder Highway (at current exit 70) by 1986. US 95 was moved from Las Vegas Boulevard, Fremont Street, and Boulder Highway onto the new freeway at that time. As additional sections of freeway were completed, both US 95 and the concurrently-routed
US 93 were rerouted onto the new freeway. The former alignment on Fremont Street and Boulder Highway became
SR 582. Over time, parts of it have been decommissioned by the state and turned over to local entities for maintenance. In May 2006, the (freeway-to-freeway) interchange was completed to replace the former diamond junction at Lake Mead Parkway/
SR 564 (formerly known as Lake Mead Drive) and
I-215. The interchange at Galleria Drive (exit 64B) was opened on November 4, 2009, resulting in the renumbering of the existing junction at
Sunset Road (from exit 64 to exit 64A). On August 16, 2017,
Interstate 11 was opened to the public as the Boulder City Bypass. US 95 between Paradise Hills Drive and Cascata Drive was rerouted onto the newly built freeway. Some portions of the old highway near
Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino were repurposed as parking aisles for said hotel. The portion of former US 95 between present-day
US 93 Business and I-11 was redesignated
SR 173, while retaining the name "Veterans Memorial Highway".
Earthquake On May 15, 2020, the
Monte Cristo Range earthquake damaged the highway in both directions from US 6 in Coaldale to SR 360 in Mineral County. ==Future==