LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – If you’ve ever driven from southern Nevada to southern California or vice versa, you know the traffic can be brutal. Now some relief is on the way.
On Sunday, the governors of the two states announced a new expansion project for Interstate 15 that will open an additional lane during the main tourist season.
13 Action News spoke to Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman on Monday. She says she’s excited about the news, but she also admits that this is not a permanent solution. In her words, it’s a patch for a situation that calls for a full-blown tourniquet.
California crews will re-pave and re-pave a five-mile stretch of I-15, temporarily converting the hard shoulder to a third lane on busy driving days, and relieving a brutal bottleneck between Stateline and Barstow.
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Bumper traffic is common on I-15 between Las Vegas and California on busy days of travel.
“People mix it up for a three or four hour drive. Last Sunday it was nine and a half or ten hours to come back because there are only two lanes,” Goodman said.
As Las Vegas’ population continues to grow, so too does Goodman’s concern about California traffic jams. She says a faster, more efficient I-15 will benefit tourists and truckers alike, but argues that the latter is currently more important in repairing our nation’s disrupted supply chain.
“We have inventory in Los Angeles and Long Beach that needs to be relocated inland. Now the attention is here because the cargo has not been relocated back east. Economically, it is a disaster if we don’t get it going,” said Goodman called.
And our tourists will spend less time getting home!
– Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) December 5, 2021
After eight years of sounding the alarm, she is glad that these governors are finally addressing the issue. However, she believes the situation calls for a more permanent solution.
“My hope is that the President of the United States will use the trillion dollars allocated to infrastructure to try and move this cargo and products to the rest of the country,” said Mayor Goodman, crossing her fingers.
MORE: Biden signs a $ 1 trillion infrastructure package – what’s in it for Nevada?
The I-15 expansion project is expected to cost approximately $ 12 million, which will be paid for by the California Department of Transportation. It should start in mid-spring 2022 and be completed by the end of summer.
