Las Vegas mayor tells California to widen I-15 from stateline to Barstow

After the New Year’s Day holiday, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman used Twitter to send a message to Caltrans and transportation leaders.

The mayor tweeted on Tuesday after many travelers on Interstate 15 headed back to Southern California, with some enduring a nearly 18-mile backup on Monday.

“Once again, we had travelers spending hours and hours of their time trying to get home on Interstate 15,” Goodman said. “California must step up and complete widening of I-15 between stateline and Barstow. The drive times remain intolerable.”

Her message was marked for Caltrans HQ, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu.

An 18-mile, bumper-to-bumper traffic nightmare greeted Southern Californian commuters attempting to return home on Monday afternoon, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

The traffic congestion nearly tripled the usual 3.5-hour drive for some, the commission stated.

Bumper-to-bumper ride

Victorville resident Helen Crossman told the Daily Press that she was one of many travelers who endured “a bumper-to-bumper ride part of the way home” on Monday.

“We decided to visit my sister in Henderson over the weekend,” Crossman said. “When we left on Monday, traffic was a bit heavy until we got near the airport and closer to Interstate 15.”

Crossman said it took nearly 20 minutes to transition onto I-15 and that it was “more stop than go” until they reached Primm, Nevada, roughly 43 miles away.

“As we crossed over to California, the traffic was heavy, and we even stopped a few times,” Crossman said. “A lot of people stopped off at Baker, which seemed to ease traffic a bit.”

Crossman was one of several High Desert travelers who told the Daily Press that holiday weekends are notorious for heavier than usual traffic between Las Vegas and Southern California.

“Whether it’s the Cajon Pass or the ride from Victorville to Vegas, traffic has gotten worse over the years,” said Jose Ruiz, 55, of Victorville. “Building another lane might help for a while, but traffic is still going to be bad.”

Several people said they weren’t sure if Brightline West’s high-speed rail project between Rancho Cucamonga and Las Vegas would alleviate traffic congestion.

Hopes for construction of the nearly $8 billion project had been high since 2020 when Brightline eyed a groundbreaking for its West Coast line, with a main station in Apple Valley and a stop in Hesperia.

Stalled by a lack of funding, Brightline officials will continue seeking the financial means to begin the project. Meanwhile, the Federal Railway Administration is reviewing the project for final approval for the final leg of the railway system.

Interstate expansion project

The I-15 expansion project was announced in December 2021 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and then-Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and

The governors announced plans to expand I-15 to alleviate heavy traffic, adding that the project would be done by spring 2022.

“We’re actually in the process right now of moving dollars to begin immediate relief by taking the shoulder, for the next five miles, well five miles south, and we’ll be repaving, restriping, and using that shoulder as a third lane during peak hours," said Newsom in Dec. 2021.

California also planned to add a 5-mile temporary lane from the stateline, which would open during peak congestion times.

In early November 2022, Nevada’s phase one project was reportedly completed, which included opening a third lane as Nevada motorists traveled south across the stateline into California.

California also completed its first phase of widening by converting a 1-mile stretch of the I-15 south shoulder into a temporary third lane south of the stateline.

Even with the highway expanding from two lanes to three, traffic headaches continued through the Christmas and New Year's holidays, KSNV reported.

Caltrans officials have stated that there is no timeline for a permanent third lane on I-15.

“The timing of opening a third southbound lane for five miles from the state line to the California Department of Food and Agricultural Station is still being determined,” said Caltrans spokeswoman Emily Leinen, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Las Vegas mayor tells California to widen I-15 from Nevada to Barstow