Presidents Day traffic clogs I-15 at California-Nevada border
Holiday weekends and traffic jams leaving Las Vegas are a rite of passage in Southern Nevada.
Presidents Day weekend is proving to be no exception in 2022, especially on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada border in Primm.
By Monday afternoon, traffic had been backed up as much as 16 miles on the way out of Las Vegas to California, according to a tweet from the Regional Transportation Commission. Primm is about 45 miles southwest of Las Vegas.
2/21/2022 3:00 PM
Heavy Traffic
I-15 South to California
16 Mile Back-Up
Expect Long Delays— RTC Southern Nevada (@RTCSNV) February 21, 2022
The Monday traffic troubles were not limited to I-15. In the morning, a crash involving about a dozen vehicles on U.S. 95 near Boulder City injured nine people.
Solving traffic woes
In December, the governors of California and Nevada announced a plan to provide “immediate relief” for drivers who make the congested trek on I-15. The plan, expected to begin in the spring, would expand the southbound highway from the California-Nevada stateline to the California Department of Food and Agriculture Station. The project aims to reduce the bottleneck that occurs as the highway goes from three lanes to two starting at Primm.
Also, two rail projects that would link Southern Nevada with Southern California (and alleviate traffic on I-15) could get a boost from President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill.
More than 40 million people visit Las Vegas annually, with roughly a quarter of those coming from — and later going back to — California via I-15.