Las Vegas to California on the I-15 Some Relief in Site by Late Summer
Some relief appears to be on the horizon for weary travelers in the form of widening a stretch of the I-15 just over the California border. On holidays, traffic can be backed up 25 to 30 miles or more between Las Vegas and California., as witnessed this "Memorial Day Weekend." Traffic jams on I-15 also exist on most weekend traffic. There is a “deep urgency” for solutions, Gov Newson (CA) and Gov Sisolak (NV) have said an initial proposed $12M project would be completed “by the summer.” The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently put a contract out for bid for a planned $12 million project to repave and re-stripe the shoulder to make it a travel lane at heavy traffic times on the stretch of I-15 southbound from the Nevada-California border to the inspection station. It could be open by late summer, Caltrans hopes. The project is estimated to cost $12 million and will be completed with existing California State Highway Account resources. It is expected to begin by mid-Spring 2022, with completion anticipated by the end of summer 2022. With over 40 million people visiting Las Vegas annually and nearly 25 percent of those traveling between Southern California and Nevada, travel times on I-15 southbound on Sundays and Mondays between the state line and Barstow, California average between three to five hours. Those delays make the usually 4 ½ hour drive between Las Vegas and Los Angeles take as long as 10 hours.
