Bypassing the I-15 Primm backup via US 95 through Searchlight

[MarkF]

I've always been curious about using US 95 south out of Las Vegas, then cutting over to I-15 on Nipton Rd (NV 164) as a way to bypass the long backups at Primm due to losing a southbound lane at the border (although a 3rd southbound lane to the CA agriculture checkpoint is coming later this year).  I was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago heading back on a Sunday morning and gave it a try.  It's around 40 miles longer than the I-15 route, and took me around 80 minutes to get from the Tropicana Road area of the strip to Mountain Pass on I-15. Here's a video I made of the route:

One thing that baffles me on the Vegas to LA route is the big backup through the Cajon Pass. This is downhill and has little interchange traffic. That day it was stop and go from a couple miles south of US 395 to a couple of miles north of the 15/215 split.  Maybe the additional truck traffic from 395 and the truck scales south of CA 138?

[Max Rockatansky]

It's actually not too bad if you take US 95 to National Old Trails Road/Old US 66 and I-40.  I used to bypass Cajon Pass via, Kelso Road, National Old Trails Road, Amboy Road and CA 62 to I-10.

[pderocco]

If you're going to bypass that particular piece of I-15, you might as well bypass even more. Go Nipton Rd, Ivanpah Rd, Morningstar Mine Rd, Cima Rd, Kelbaker Rd, and I-40. Or take Max's advice and go all the way down to I-10. That's what I did when I came back from a New Year's trip to Utah. But then, I live in San Diego, so I was biased toward southern routes.

I'm also the kind of driver who'd rather take a mellow, leisurely ride on empty roads, even if it takes longer.

[ClassicHasClass]

I'm the same way: I bypass I-15 completely on US 95, and just go straight to Blythe and take I-10 back in. I really hate I-15 between Victorville and Vegas.

I need to update this with the new footage in the library, but basically, http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/95/