LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Drivers on Interstate 15 in California were back to their usual bumper-to-bumper crawl after the holiday on Memorial Day. One Nevada official says that California needs to solve this problem right away.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said, “I’m ready to go out there with a shovel to show that we care about all of you from California and want you to have a great time.” Goodman knows that no one enjoys being stuck in traffic.
On Memorial Day, people going to Southern California were stuck in a 12-mile-long line in Nevada at the state line, where the highway goes from three lanes in Nevada to two lanes in California. There were also slowdowns in California.
“The lines were so long and deep that it took people nine to ten hours to drive what should have taken three and a half to four hours,” Goodman said. Goodman knows that makes it less likely for some people to come back.
“For us, it’s all about tourists. It’s the business of conventions,” Goodman said as a reason for expanding national travel. California has already said it will widen a five-mile stretch from Stateline to the Agricultural Inspection Station.
“It will be done by this summer because you’re holding me to account. At a news conference in December 2021 off I-15 with Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “It’s up to me to get it done by this summer.” Only one mile has been done so far.
“They need to get their acts together,” Goodman said. Goodman said that the roads on the Nevada side have been made wider, but that California hasn’t made any changes since her husband was in office.
“We’ve been yelling at California to do something for a quarter of a century,” Goodman said to explain. Goodman thinks that people who get stuck in traffic in California because the interstate isn’t big enough will use that time to ask for help.
Goodman asked, “Call your elected officials and tell them to get CalTrans on board.”
After asking CalTrans about when the planned expansion will happen for two months, they sent FOX5 this statement:
Caltrans has opened a one-mile transfer lane on southbound I-15 at the California-Nevada border that makes it easy for cars to switch from three to two lanes. This one-mile transition road has saved drivers going from Las Vegas to Southern California an average of 30 to 40 minutes on weekends when there aren’t any holidays and there isn’t much of a line at the border.
A third, part-time southbound lane will open for five miles, from the state line to the California Department of Food and Agriculture stop, as part of plans to improve traffic conditions in the area. Caltrans is still working with our federal partners and the Southern California Association of Governments to get the appropriate regulatory approvals. This is making it hard to say when the lane will open.
