LAS VEGAS, Nev. (702 Times, NV Globe) – There were 12 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 15 on Thursday, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), and some of the busiest travel days of the Christmas season still remain Friday and the Monday after New Year’s Day.

“Traffic has been horrendous,” shared Carnita Jones stopping at Primm to fill up on gas on her nearly border-to-border road trip from Kalispell, MT to San Diego where she is a grad student. Jones said there have been a number of slowdowns along the way, the worst near the Utah/ Nevada border.

“I drove about 15 miles and spent three hours in sleet, snow, freezing rain,” Jones recounted. While traffic isn’t fun, Jones argued it was better than cancelled flights and being stuck in the airport.

“We drove to Las Vegas to pick up my sister who came from Tulsa. She was supposed to be at our house on Christmas Eve but got cancelled out on Southwest,” shared Steve Kirkstra who drove up from Upland, California. Now, they will celebrate Christmas on New Year’s Day.

“She has never been to a Rose Parade, so she is here now and that is what we are looking forward to,” Kirkstra explained.

Due to the numerous changes in travel plans, RTC is unsure of how crowded the roads will be in the upcoming days.

“We’ll just be watching at this point with weather, travel delays, things like that. We’re all kind of standing by and watching,” revealed RTC Spokesperson Sue Christiansen. Commuters can sign up for traffic alerts on the RTC website to access the most up-to-date traffic information.

Starting at 6 p.m., the RTC will provide free rides on all 39 routes. from New Year’s Eve to nine in the morning. Several extra routes will operate on a 24-hour schedule or with extended hours on New Year’s Day. Transit users can board any RTC bus without paying a ticket or purchasing a pass, helping to maintain safe roads.

Transit service on main roadways around the valley is included in the free rides, and there is direct access to and from the Las Vegas Strip. The South Strip Transit Terminal (6675 S. Gilespie St.) provides transit service to the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Las Vegas through the Deuce and Route 109. (Maryland Parkway). The free ride RTC app allows users to schedule their travel.

The RTC offers free service in addition to running additional extended service hours on nine lines and full 24-hour service on 14 routes, increasing accessibility to transit even further. Visit here for a detailed description of the detour and route.

Credits: Fox 5 Vegas

Copyright 2022 702 Times, NV Globe. All rights reserved.