Interstate 15 north of Barstow to the State Line

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^ does anyone know what the Yates Well bridge work is for? Is it related to the I-15 shoulder project?

[michravera]

^^^
My point is that no California administration, Dem or Rep, has bothered to fix a growing problem along I-15 for decades. To blame the current governor for the problem is basically saying this problem magically appeared in the last 2-3 years. The only change over the last few years is the moving of the ag inspection station closer to the border which was designed and implemented under Jerry Brown; it may even go back to Schwarzenegger, but in either case the planning and construction predates Newsom. That Newsom sees no need to prioritize something that previous administrations also chose to ignore is more a general California policy of not widening rural interstates to six lanes (see I-5 through San Juaquin Valley) than on Newsom.

I agree that I-15 should be widened between the ag station and Nevada, but that's not the only transportation problem facing California and it's mostly a severe bottleneck at the end of long weekends about a dozen times a year. But it's stupid to blame Newsom for a problem that's been around for decades even if it has gotten worse in the last couple years (which coincided with a pandemic which greatly reduced vacation travel if you hadn't noticed).

Agree, and I'll add that in the grand scheme of things, politics (for either party) probably doesn't help in terms of setting priorities.  Truck/commercial traffic notwithstanding, why would this corridor rise to the top of the list when such a project would provide no real revenue benefits to the state?  Nevada and Las Vegas certainly benefit from the tourist/visitor dollars spent there so it certainly makes sense that Goodman and Sisolak are hammering on CA to make it easy for people to get there, but for CA government there are more than enough other corridors that need attention where making improvements does have a net positive fiscal impact.  As the old saying goes:  follow the money . . .

I seem to recall that it was Nevada that paid directly for a big chunk of the turn-of-the-century improvements to I-15 in California, with other funding coming from earmarks spearheaded by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Not California.

If I recall correctly, there was a contribution toward California I-15 improvements not from Nevada/NDOT, but some other entity like the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority.

If it were important enough, LVCVA would buy land and build their own road!

[cahwyguy]

^^^ does anyone know what the Yates Well bridge work is for? Is it related to the I-15 shoulder project?

My understanding (from when I was in Vegas over Labor Day), is that it is to repair damage from the floods and washouts in late August.

[MarkF]

^^^ does anyone know what the Yates Well bridge work is for? Is it related to the I-15 shoulder project?

My understanding (from when I was in Vegas over Labor Day), is that it is to repair damage from the floods and washouts in late August.

You might be thinking of the damage at Wheaton Wash at postmile 174 south of Nipton Road.  Fortunately, Caltrans reopened all lanes on it over Labor Day weekend.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/09/01/caltrans-all-lanes-i-15-sb-be-open-california-over-holiday-weekend/

[FredAkbar]

Drove from Vegas to Barstow early Sunday morning (3am so no traffic) after Thanksgiving. It looks like the work is done; the bridge and beyond going southbound has 3 lanes, and the new rightmost lane is sort of this hybrid thing that merges in and out of the shoulder.

I did happen to check the traffic later that morning and saw it was pretty bad like always (maybe due to the agricultural checkpoint like others noted) but could have been better than past years.

Driving through Nevada from Vegas to get to that point, the overhead marquees all had an ominous warning, something like "Slow traffic 11 miles north of state line, carry extra food and gas".

[Occidental Tourist]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

[keithvh]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

[keithvh]

Driving through Nevada from Vegas to get to that point, the overhead marquees all had an ominous warning, something like "Slow traffic 11 miles north of state line, carry extra food and gas".

LOL ..... yes, it was overly omnious.

Nevada's OTHER overhead marquees had an interesting message of their own.  "Keep your stuffing on the inside this Thanksgiving ..... buckle up!"  Geez, isn't that picturesque?

[DenverBrian]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

[Max Rockatansky]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

Wouldn't it just be easier detouring from Vegas via CA 190 for designations like Sherman Oaks.  There is all sorts of handy shortcuts through the desert beginning in Panamint Valley that will get to US 395 or CA 14.  It might be longer on paper but for me I rather just drive by myself in the desert than a 16-18 mile backup on I-15.

[FredAkbar]

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

Except then you have to fly (come on, you're on a roadgeek forum!)

There's always the nuclear option, which I do, of leaving at 3am Sunday "morning". I live in San Francisco, so it's a 7.5 hour drive, only an hour longer than the Sherman Oaks person's Sunday evening drive despite being over twice as far by mileage.

[Plutonic Panda]

I think a case could be made to expand I-15 to eight lanes between Victorville and LV. That said if the trip takes more than 5+ hours why not just roll through Death Valley and take 395 or the 14 back into town? That's what I do and honestly it's much more fun than taking the interstate.

[Occidental Tourist]

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

For non-holiday weekends, the backup is usually just from before Primm to past the inspection station and another one again coming down the Cajon Pass. My workaround is to drive to Searchlight and pick up Nipton Road back to 15 to avoid the inspection station traffic and then pick up 138 south of Victorville back to 15 to avoid the Cajon Pass traffic.  It adds an hour to an ideal Vegas trip back to LA, but it moves the whole time.

Occasionally there's a Sunday backup coming down into Barstow from Yermo, and that can be avoided by cutting down to 40 at Newberry Springs or Daggett.  But that usually doesn't save you any additional time; it just saves the hassle of working the clutch in stop-and-go traffic.

There's always the nuclear option, which I do, of leaving at 3am Sunday "morning".

What a waste of a perfectly good Saturday night in Vegas. 

[Max Rockatansky]

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

Except then you have to fly (come on, you're on a roadgeek forum!)

There's always the nuclear option, which I do, of leaving at 3am Sunday "morning". I live in San Francisco, so it's a 7.5 hour drive, only an hour longer than the Sherman Oaks person's Sunday evening drive despite being over twice as far by mileage.

Given you live in the Bay Area you can even more so easily avoid I-15 by heading west. 

Seriously, why are some of you even bothering with I-15?  I live in Fresno and I haven't taken I-15 into the city since I did so deliberately to start this thread.  My usually route to Vegas from Mojave is:

-  CA 14
-  Garlock Road
-  US 395
-  Searles Station Cutoff and Trona Road
-  CA 178
-  Trona/Trona-Wildrose Road
-  Panamint Valley Road
-  CA 190
-  CA 127
-  Stateline Road
-  NV 160

Even detouring up US 395 directly to CA 190 would be more workable than sitting in that weekend rush traffic on I-15. 

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^^ that's the way! You can also haul ass with little to no worry about CHP. I'm average around 150MPH and I've gotten well over 200MPH on many stretches. Just go for it. It's fun.

[Max Rockatansky]

The desert is kind of a spooky place, I can see the Mojave outside limited access being off putting.  That said, almost everything I listed is signed with 65 MPH speed limits.  Stuff like Stateline Road has even been recently repaved.  The biggest hazard is probably open range desert critters which is something that wouldn't be seen on I-15. 

[webny99]

How much of I-15 between Barstow and the NV line is still only 4-lanes?

[Max Rockatansky]

How much of I-15 between Barstow and the NV line is still only 4-lanes?

Almost all of it aside from the climbing/descending lanes I described in my blog. 

[mgk920]

When can we expect the Brightline guys to start construction works on their proposal?

Mike

[DenverBrian]

How much of I-15 between Barstow and the NV line is still only 4-lanes?

Almost all of it aside from the climbing/descending lanes I described in my blog. 

The climbing/descending lanes run for miles, making much of the road effectively six lanes.

There's ongoing road work in Victorville, apparently to add lanes from Victorville south.

[Max Rockatansky]

How much of I-15 between Barstow and the NV line is still only 4-lanes?

Almost all of it aside from the climbing/descending lanes I described in my blog. 

The climbing/descending lanes run for miles, making much of the road effectively six lanes.

There's ongoing road work in Victorville, apparently to add lanes from Victorville south.

The bulk of I-15 between Barstow and Primm is certainly not even close to mostly six lanes.  You have to consider too, how many passenger vehicles use those climbing/descending lanes?  The four lane segments ought to be six and the climbing lane portions should be eight is to effectively manage the flow of traffic (which seems to be Nevada's goal but not California). 

[skluth]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

Any time gained by flying will be lost going in/out of LAX. Burbank, Ontario, John Wayne? No problem. Just don't use LAX if possible. Especially on a holiday weekend.

[Max Rockatansky]

Apparently there was an 18-mile backup later in the day.

I drove from Vegas to LA (Sherman Oaks) on Sunday evening.  I left Vegas at 6:30.  It was awful.  Got into Sherman Oaks at 1:00 AM - there were numerous multi-mile backups between Primm and Barstow.

The road is really an abomination.  There's no excuse for it not being 3+ lanes from Primm to Barstow at this point.

No reason to ever do that when you can fly virtually on the hour every hour LAX-LAS or vice versa.

Any time gained by flying will be lost going in/out of LAX. Burbank, Ontario, John Wayne? No problem. Just don't use LAX if possible. Especially on a holiday weekend.

From Palm Springs you also have the luxury of US 95 being a viable detour coupled with stuff like Amboy Road or CA 62-CA 177.

[FredAkbar]

I'm average around 150MPH and I've gotten well over 200MPH on many stretches. Just go for it. It's fun.

Okay, gonna go try that in my 2008 Honda Fit, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Occidental Tourist]

^^^^ that's the way! You can also haul ass with little to no worry about CHP. I'm average around 150MPH and I've gotten well over 200MPH on many stretches. Just go for it. It's fun.

Once my Bugatti gets out of the shop, I'll have to try that.