Caltrans Introduces Innovative Solution to Ease Stateline Traffic Over Holiday Weekend

LAS VEGAS – This holiday weekend, Californians making the journey from Las Vegas found a new ally in their quest to avoid the notorious bumper-to-bumper traffic at Stateline. In an effort to alleviate congestion, Caltrans unveiled a novel strategy by opening up the emergency shoulder as an additional travel lane.

Signs indicating the allowance of shoulder driving on Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. were spotted just beyond Stateline. As travelers approach the border from Primm, they’ll now notice that a lane no longer abruptly ends. The approximately 5-mile lane extension begins at the California-Nevada border and extends to the agricultural check station near Mountain Pass. This initiative aims to mitigate the traffic bottlenecks that have plagued this route in the past, with reports of backups exceeding 20 miles.

Despite the implementation of this part-time lane over Labor Day, backups at Stateline were notably reduced, stretching for just about a mile. However, the challenges resurfaced where the interstate narrows to two lanes near Mountain Pass, mirroring similar issues further down the road near Baker. This comes on the heels of a weekend where many motorists were stranded due to monsoon flooding, leading to the temporary closure of the interstate.

Notably, Caltrans’ pilot project for the I-15 shoulder lane debuted last weekend and witnessed considerable use, especially among truck traffic. NDOT revealed that during last Labor Day weekend, over 200,000 vehicles crossed Stateline via I-15, underscoring the need for innovative solutions to address traffic concerns along this route.

Credits: Fox 5 Vegas