Nevada State Route 159

"Red Rock Road" redirects here. For the one in Arizona, see Red Rock Scenic Road. For other uses, see Red Road.

State Route 159 (SR 159) is a 31.204-mile (50.218 km) east–west highway in Clark County, Nevada, United States, providing access to Red Rock Canyon and serving as a thoroughfare in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. A portion of the west end of the route is designated a Nevada Scenic Byway.

State Route 159
Nevada State Route 159, highlighted in red.
Route information
Maintained by NDOT
Length	31.204 mi[1] (50.218 km)
Existed	1978–present
Major junctions
West end	SR 160 in Blue Diamond
Major intersections	CC 215 at Las Vegas–Summerlin South line I-15 in Las Vegas I-11 / US 93 / US 95 at Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line
East end	SR 612 at the Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line
Location
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Clark
Highway system
Nevada State Highway System Interstate US State Pre‑1976 Scenic
← SR 158 → SR 160

Route description

View from the west end of SR 159 looking eastbound in 2015

State Route 159 has two distinct segments. The first segment is a rural two-lane highway that begins at its junction with SR 160. The highway proceeds northwest through the town of Blue Diamond towards Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. From there, the highway curves northeast around Red Rock Canyon to the Las Vegas city limits west of the Las Vegas Beltway. This segment of SR 159 is known on maps and signs as Blue Diamond Road (assuming the name from SR 160), but is also referred to as Red Rock Canyon Road.

As SR 159 enters the city of Las Vegas, it transitions into Charleston Boulevard, a major east–west section line arterial bisecting the Las Vegas Valley. The highway crosses the Las Vegas Beltway and runs through the planned community of Summerlin. SR 159 continues east to intersect Interstate 15 and then passes south of Downtown Las Vegas. From there, the highway ventures further east to intersect Interstate 11 and U.S. Routes 93 and 95 before reaching its terminus at Nellis Boulevard (SR 612). (Charleston Boulevard itself ends about three miles (5 km) east of Nellis Boulevard near Frenchman Mountain.)

History

Looking west down the entire length of Charleston Boulevard, from the slopes of Frenchman Mountain in 2005

A portion of Charleston Boulevard was previously designated U.S. Route 95 Alternate to bypass Downtown Las Vegas. The designation began at Fremont Street (SR 582) and continued west to Rancho Drive (SR 599), where it curved north to reconnect to US 95. The alternate route was discontinued in 1982.

Approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) of SR 159 in Red Rock Canyon was designated a Nevada Scenic Byway on June 30, 1995.^[2]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Clark County.

Location	mi[3]	km	Destinations	Notes
Blue Diamond	0.00	0.00	SR 160 – Las Vegas, Pahrump	Counterclockwise terminus; road continues south as Erskine Junction Way
Las Vegas–Summerlin South line	15.833	25.481	CC 215 (Bruce Woodbury Beltway)	Interchange; future I-215; CC 215 exit 26
Gap in route
Las Vegas	15.833	25.481	Martin L. King Boulevard	Interchange; eastbound left exit and westbound entrances
			I-15 – Los Angeles, Salt Lake City	Interchange; I-15 exit 41
	16.17	26.02	Grand Central Parkway
Gap in route
Las Vegas–Sunrise Manor line	16.17	26.02	Fremont Street (SR 582)
			I-11 / US 93 / US 95	Interchange; I-11 exit 33; former I-515
	18.524	29.811	Nellis Boulevard (SR 612)	Clockwise terminus; road continues east as Charleston Boulevard
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access

Public transport

Current RTC Route 206 functions on this road.

See also

• U.S. Roads portal
• Nevada portal

• List of state routes in Nevada