Las Vegas Sun photo:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.lasvegassun.com%2Fmedia%2Fimg%2Fphotos%2F2014%2F09%2F08%2FMoapa5_t653.jpg%3F214bc4f9d9bd7c08c7d0f6599bb3328710e01e7bp&hash=d044992fe873dddebb307e0112f4723d6aa92f99)
KLAS-TV reports:
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/26477250/breaking-moapa-hit-hard-i-15-closed-to-traffic
QuoteAccording to Clark County Fire officials, the southbound lanes of I-15 at mile marker 92 have been completely washed out. The National Weather Service referred to the flooding as "life-threatening." Moapa, which is 50 miles north of Las Vegas, received more than three inches of rain in an hour.
... Nevada Highway Patrol reported, at one point, that cars were floating down I-15 near Moapa.
Update:
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/26477250/ndot-i-15-will-be-closed-3-to-4-days
QuoteNevada Department of Transportation said the freeway will be closed for three to four days. According to Utah Department of Transportation, I-15 is closed just outside of St. George. ... Nevada Highway Patrol said I-15 has a lot of damage and it is not safe enough to allow traffic on it.
holy shit.
Hopefully US 93 is still open. I dealt with a washout on that road south of Alamo back in August 2005 which closed it for a few days, inconveniently just a couple hours before we got there.
I've seen various flood events around the Vegas area, but never one to completely wash out a road. (Unfortunately, I think that stretch of I-15 was undergoing or just finished a resurfacing.)
Flash flooding events can be very dramatic in the southern Nevada desert, yet people still try to drive through flood waters...
Quote from: sdmichael on September 09, 2014, 01:58:19 AM
Hopefully US 93 is still open. I dealt with a washout on that road south of Alamo back in August 2005 which closed it for a few days, inconveniently just a couple hours before we got there.
According to one of the links, US 93 was closed in two places, so there wasn't a convenient detour between Las Vegas and Utah at the time. It has since reopened.
Watching the Monday night football game between San Diego and Arizona showed Phoenix got a record amount of rainfall that flooded their city. Deserts are so funny that way by being dry 99% of the time and then turning into a scene from "Noah" that 1% when all hell breaks loose.
The power of water: When I was driving west on I-8 on the way to San Diego, before the freeway began it's climb into the mountains there was a reroute onto old US 80. I wondered why. A couple miles later the question was answered. An I-8 eastbound bridge had been demolished by a flash flood so bad that it looked like the structure had been hit by an atomic bomb. It was that much of a twisted up mess.
I think I'll stay on the Oregon coast, where the rains drain away fairly well. Those deserts are scary places when they're hit with a massive downpour! Best wishes to all concerned in Nevada and Arizona.
Rick
KLAS-TV photo:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fklas.images.worldnow.com%2Fimages%2F4693178_G.jpg&hash=c12325798cc6fd1ee2a84489bedfac0ade1dd079)
More here: http://www.8newsnow.com/story/26477250/i-15-closed-for-days-flooding-impacting-overton-logandale
I was honestly unaware that torrential amounts of water could cause that kind of damage.
Quote from: Zeffy on September 09, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
I was honestly unaware that torrential amounts of water could cause that kind of damage.
It happened to I-287 not too long ago, and surely you've seen the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy right here in NJ.
Quote from: nexus73 on September 09, 2014, 01:56:10 PM
Watching the Monday night football game between San Diego and Arizona showed Phoenix got a record amount of rainfall that flooded their city. Deserts are so funny that way by being dry 99% of the time and then turning into a scene from "Noah" that 1% when all hell breaks loose.
The power of water: When I was driving west on I-8 on the way to San Diego, before the freeway began it's climb into the mountans there was a reroute onto old US 80. I wondered why. A couple miles later the question was answered. An I-8 eastbound bridge had been demolished by a flash flood so bad that it looked like the structure had been hit by an atomic bomb. It was that much of a twisted up mess.
I think I'll stay on the Oregon coast, where the rains drain away fairly well. Those deserts are scary places when they're hit with a massive downpour! Best wishes to all concerned in Nevada and Arizona.
Rick
When was the bridge on I-8 destroyed and what location exactly?
The bridge was destroyed Michael. The EXACT location is unknown by me but since it was just before I-8 heads into the mountains I am sure you can find the place. By the way, this happened around 1977.
Rick
Then I know exactly what one and why. It was the Myers Creek Bridge heading WB on I-8 just west of Millers. The old Shepards Bridge, an arch bridge, was also damaged during the storm. The remnants of Hurricane Kathleen were the cause of the rainfall.
However, it was a bit misleading posting that information at first. This post was about a current event and 1977 isn't exactly recent. There have been a lot of thunderstorms in the area lately, hence my question. A nicer response would have been adequate.
Kinda freaked me as well since I live at the top of the long climb on 8., and there was evidence of a massive thunderstorm two Monday's ago in the late eve.
Sorry I hurt your feelers there Michael. Didn't mean to!
Rick
Quote from: Zeffy on September 09, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
I was honestly unaware that torrential amounts of water could cause that kind of damage.
Flash flooding is a huge problem in desert areas, especially the Las Vegas region. Much of it has to do with the native soil of the surrounding area, as a lot of the desert soil is hardened and not very permeable, so water cannot soak into the ground. In the Vegas area, this is caused by caliche, which is almost like a form of natural cement that tends to form fairly shallowly beneath the soil surface. (As an aside, caliche is one of main reasons most houses in the Vegas area do not have basements–it is very expensive to dig through.) This causes water to run off towards natural low points (washes and rivers). Rainfall coming off the mountains that can't soak in, combined with big downpours in a short timeframe, spells big trouble.
Flash floods have been a perennial problem in the Las Vegas area. There was a pretty big event some time ago (I want to say 1983) that caused major flooding along the Strip that flooded and washed away numerous cars in the Caesar's Palace parking lot. Another one (July 2001?) washed away two motor homes when the Las Vegas Wash overflowed during a heavy rainfall event (1.5 inches of rain in about 90 minutes). Heck, even Hoover Dam was constructed in part to prevent recurrent flooding of downstream towns along the Colorado River. Every year during summer rainstorms, people try to drive through storm water, their cars stall out, and they have to be rescued.
The Vegas area has spent millions on flood control measures since the 1980s, via the Clark County Regional Flood Control District–and this work continues. This includes water detention basins, concrete lining of several natural washes, and hundreds of miles of underground storm drain conduits. These projects have helped to eliminate (or lessen the severity of) perennial flooding trouble spots that would fill with water even during the not-so-major rainfall, such as the Charleston Blvd (SR 159) railroad underpass and the ground floor of the Imperial Palace Hotel/Casino (now The Quad) parking garage adjacent to the Flamingo Wash.
Governor Sandoval has declared a state of emergency for the areas affected by flooding:
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/26491732/breaking-news-gov-sandoval-declares-state-of-emergency-for-clark-county
A temporary repair should be ready for the washed out section of I-15 by this Friday. The Interstate will need to be torn up an replaced in the affected section at some point in the near future.
http://www.8newsnow.com/story/26501983/temporary-fix-for-washed-out-i-15-could-be-ready-by-friday
This explains the "Severe weather delay" on my UPS package shipping from Ontario, CA to Nampa. Didn't realize what they were referring to until this morning I saw the package was in Salt Lake City. Yep, I-15. Now I have to wait until Monday (was supposed to get here today)...
As of yesterday, NDOT reopened I-15 in both directions to passenger vehicles. At the point of the roadway washout, it is down to one lane in each direction and all traffic is routed to one side of the highway via crossovers. They will then work on fixing the opposite side. Commercial vehicles still must follow a detour for now.
It was somewhat fortunate that NDOT was already doing a mill & fill job along this part of the Interstate. That contractor was already in place and mobilized, such that they could just divert existing resources to the temporary repair.
I-15 is back up and running in both directions, and commercial restrictions have been lifted:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/i-15-near-moapa-reopens-both-directions
Quote from: Zeffy on September 09, 2014, 02:16:29 PM
I was honestly unaware that torrential amounts of water could cause that kind of damage.
Same here. When I first saw this thread, I heard "washed out" and had no idea what it meant. I thought there was a
small possibility it meant the entire road was
literally washed out and the asphalt (or concrete) was actually absent or torn apart. Turns out that's what it means. After reading more down the thread, I can see a road being "washed out" as less odd, but I am still
amazed water could do something like that.
Quote from: roadfro on September 13, 2014, 01:15:50 PM
It was somewhat fortunate that NDOT was already doing a mill & fill job along this part of the Interstate. That contractor was already in place and mobilized, such that they could just divert existing resources to the temporary repair.
Heh. How convenient.
Not to toot my own horn, but maybe renumbering NV-319 to NV-56 to match UT-56 (or NV-14 for an extended UT-14) could help a little in better marking the I-15 detour. I know it goes completely against Nevada's numbering system, but it could make detours a touch easier, and also, don't NV-28 and NV-88 exist for reasons of consistency (though their history does admittedly go much further back)?
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/15328608465_d2a03f2b1c_o.png)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/15328299262_3a1929153a_o.png)
That, or make it US-193 using the "US Routes serve as alternatives to Interstates" line of thinking.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3850/15338719251_715534faee_o.png)
I wouldn't think a renumbering to create a detour would be overly necessary. This is the first incident in 20+ years that I can think of out in that area, and it was due to a weather event similar to a 100-year flood...
100-year floods now happen every couple years in upstate NY, so I wouldn't count on the weather behaving as it always has.
Quote from: roadfro on September 23, 2014, 06:18:51 AM
I wouldn't think a renumbering to create a detour would be overly necessary. This is the first incident in 20+ years that I can think of out in that area, and it was due to a weather event similar to a 100-year flood...
Construction also seems to cause travel restrictions through the Virgin River Gorge, and for whatever reason, the old US 91 route is not considered sufficient for through traffic. I recall seeing detour signage via Utah 56 and US 93 over a decade ago due to road work back then, and there are some detour signs up now related to the current bridge work in the Gorge. While I don't necessary think a renumbering is in order, I do think that there should be an established, permanent detour signed to avoid the Gorge.
Quote from: andy3175 on September 23, 2014, 11:16:40 PM
Quote from: roadfro on September 23, 2014, 06:18:51 AM
I wouldn't think a renumbering to create a detour would be overly necessary. This is the first incident in 20+ years that I can think of out in that area, and it was due to a weather event similar to a 100-year flood...
Construction also seems to cause travel restrictions through the Virgin River Gorge, and for whatever reason, the old US 91 route is not considered sufficient for through traffic. I recall seeing detour signage via Utah 56 and US 93 over a decade ago due to road work back then, and there are some detour signs up now related to the current bridge work in the Gorge. While I don't necessary think a renumbering is in order, I do think that there should be an established, permanent detour signed to avoid the Gorge.
I've taken the back way on old US 91 from St. George back to Las Vegas -- it's a narrow, two-lane road with a few sharp and blind curves. On the Arizona side, there's no shoulder to speak of.
Uh-oh...it's happening again. (https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/515755937894645760)
EDIT: I-15 is still in good shape at the moment.
EDIT #2: I-15 has been closed in all directions south of Mesquite, or so I'm told.
Quote from: Rover_0 on September 27, 2014, 02:58:55 AM
Uh-oh...it's happening again. (https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/515755937894645760)
EDIT: I-15 is still in good shape at the moment.
EDIT #2: I-15 has been closed in all directions south of Mesquite, or so I'm told.
Yikes. That ain't good. That would be an absolute shame if something like this happened again right after they fixed up I-15.
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on September 27, 2014, 03:05:48 PM
Quote from: Rover_0 on September 27, 2014, 02:58:55 AM
Uh-oh...it's happening again. (https://twitter.com/NWSVegas/status/515755937894645760)
EDIT: I-15 is still in good shape at the moment.
EDIT #2: I-15 has been closed in all directions south of Mesquite, or so I'm told.
Yikes. That ain't good. That would be an absolute shame if something like this happened again right after they fixed up I-15.
https://www.nevadadot.com/_Alerts/D1_092714_0719_I-15.aspx
Looks like SB I-15 is open but is restricted to one lane in each direction.
Article about Utah 56 and its role as a detour when I-15 was closed:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/58458249-90/cedar-closed-detour-highway.html.csp
QuoteNevada's application for emergency federal funds to fix flood damage that closed Interstate 15 for a week earlier this month is about to include something unusual: a plea for $6 million to $7 million to fix a highway in neighboring Utah.
Utah State Road 56 – between Cedar City and the Nevada line – became part of a 200-mile detour between Cedar City and Las Vegas when I-15 closed. The small highway usually carries just 500 vehicles a day and instead handled 25,000 – a 50-fold increase.
It is not designed for that.
All the extra traffic, including heavy trucks, caused severe and long tire ruts, potholes, cracking and many bumps akin to a wavy washboard, said Kevin Kitchen, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation.
So he said Utah is preparing forms to piggyback onto Nevada's emergency application, hoping to find funds to fix the highway "and bring the damaged ride level back to what it was prior to the I-15 closure."
QuoteSR-56 now is among "level 2" roads that UDOT intentionally has done little to maintain in recent years to allow the agency to better afford maintaining roads with heavier use. UDOT has said it was forced into that approach because limited funding has not allowed it to maintain all highways, so it had to prioritize.
Kitchen said SR-56 now might be considered for designation as a level 1 highway or at least to receive some enhanced maintenance.
"If we were to use the traffic measurements we had there for a few days, I imagine we are already there" for making the stretch a higher-priority level 1 road.
Even before the road was washed out, I-15 was under construction southwest of Mesquite, NV. This article indicates most road construction is nearly complete:
http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/mesquite/2015/01/05/end-sight-work/21312397/
QuoteConstruction work that has impeded travel on Interstate 15 for past 12 months between Mesquite and Las Vegas will be substantially finished with two-lane, non-restricted traffic in both directions expected by Jan. 16, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT).
The 26-mile-long construction project, from about mile marker 93, (the Logandale/Overton exit) to mile marker 64 near the I-15 exit to Ely, Pioche and Great Basin National Park, cost $36 million, said Tony Illia, NDOT spokesman. It was started in January 2014. Las Vegas Paving is the contractor.
QuoteThe construction project was originally expected to be done by the end of last month, but two powerful rainstorms in September twice halted construction and shut down traffic between Mesquite and Las Vegas, Illia said.
The first storm Sept. 8 was caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Norbert, Illia said. It washed out nearly 2 miles of the interstate between the Glendale/Moapa Exit 91, to the Logandale/Overton Exit 93, he said.
"At the height of the storm, we got 2 inches of rain in two hours," Illia said. "The average yearly rainfall for Southern Nevada is only about 4 inches. In the flood caused by the storm, there was 12,000 cubic feet per second of water flowing over I-15 (north of Exit 91). The storm cut 15-foot-deep gaps in the freeway."
NDOT and Las Vegas Paving agreed to a $5 million change order to fix the storm damage and 24 hours later, I-15 between Mesquite and Logandale was open to traffic. Four days later there was two-way traffic all the way to Las Vegas and in 10 days the road was repaired.
QuoteThe next heavy rainstorm occurred late Friday, Sept. 26, and early Saturday, Sept. 27. Mesquite, Bunkerville and Beaver Dam in Arizona appeared to be the hardest hit areas in Virgin Valley when an inch and a half of rain fell in less than 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain in Moapa Valley, Moapa and the Moapa River Indian Reservation was logged at .71 to 1.10 inches, according to the weather service.
The storm forced the Nevada Highway Patrol to close I-15, and state routes 169, 168 and 170 in Nevada, and Arizona Department of Transportation closed Old Highway 91, according to Washington County Sheriff's Office in Utah.
QuoteWhile the majority of the work will be done by Jan. 16, it will be May before the project will be completely finished.
@Andy: Do you know if the I-15 work by Mesquite was to add lanes?
Rick
Quote from: nexus73 on January 07, 2015, 12:31:52 PM
@Andy: Do you know if the I-15 work by Mesquite was to add lanes?
This was not a capacity project. It was primarily a repaving project, and may have included other related improvements.
Quote from: roadfro on January 07, 2015, 11:03:05 PM
Quote from: nexus73 on January 07, 2015, 12:31:52 PM
@Andy: Do you know if the I-15 work by Mesquite was to add lanes?
This was not a capacity project. It was primarily a repaving project, and may have included other related improvements.
Correct. The project repaved a significant section of I-15, but it did not add any lanes. The Nevada DOT report states:
https://www.nevadadot.com/Projects_and_Programs/Road_Projects/District_1_Construction_Report.aspx
QuoteI-15 Repaving Project Near Moapa Valley
The Nevada Department of Transportation is repaving a 26-mile stretch on I-15 in the northbound and southbound directions from Dry Lakes to the Logandale/Overton Interchange (near State Route 169). Begun in January 2014 and expected to finish Spring 2015, the project will improve the condition of the road from Milepost 69 to Milepost 95.
The project is scheduled to shut down Fall 2014, with no traffic closures, and resume for completion Spring 2015. The contractor for the $36 million project is Las Vegas Paving.
October 2014 Update:
The second I-15 southbound lane near Moapa is expected to open by Thanksgiving, as crews are still repairing damages that resulted from the September 8 rainstorm.
There is also a study underway for "Apex to Mesquite" and Moapa Valley, which is primarily served by I-15 northeast of Las Vegas and likely will consider what can be done when nearby state routes are called into service when I-15 is closed for any reason:
http://www.ammvcorridorstudy.org/
QuoteThe Apex to Mesquite and Moapa Valley Corridor Study is a joint effort project sponsored by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a key partner in the process providing guidance and review of the study's work products.
The study includes the following routes:
I-15 from MP 57.00 to 123.77 (Apex to Stateline)
US93 from MP 52.03 to 86.58 (I-15 to Lincoln County line)
SR168 from MP 0.00 to 23.76 (I-15 to US93)
SR169 from I-15 to MP 5.82 (I-15 to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area boundary)*
*Note: SR 169 between Logandale and Overton are subject to an existing conditions safety review only.
Project Objective
To develop a long range master plan for each of the study corridors including early action improvements, safety enhancements, access control policy, corridor preservation objectives and physical upgrades to existing infrastructure. The project will serve as a foundation for future environmental analysis, design and construction efforts.
Linking the corridor study process to support the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process
The Corridor Study will serve as the foundation for future project specific environmental analyses' embracing the philosophy of "Linking planning and NEPA".
The Corridor Study will be organized in the following manner thereby supporting future environmental planning:
- Corridor level goals and objectives
- General travel corridor definition
- Preliminary screening of alternatives and elimination of unreasonable alternatives
- Basic description of environmental setting
- Preliminary identification of environmental impacts and mitigation
- Phasing of Alternatives/Plan Forward
Stakeholder outreach is an integral component of linking planning and NEPA. The study process will involve interested state, local, tribal and federal agencies and include Public Review with an opportunity for comment. It will include documentation of relevant decisions and review by the FHWA.
Click www.epa.gov/Compliance/nepa to obtain additional information on the NEPA process.
The corridor study I just referenced also has a list of immediate, medium, and long term priority improvements for the affected corridors. Here are links to the PDF's with the proposed improvements, which not only reference truck lanes, obstruction removals, and interchange improvements but also future roads and interchanges to accommodate future development north and east of Las Vegas:
http://www.ammvcorridorstudy.org/docs/I_Matrix.pdf
http://www.ammvcorridorstudy.org/docs/M_Matrix.pdf
http://www.ammvcorridorstudy.org/docs/L_Matrix.pdf - note a "Mesquite Beltway" is included in this group, most likely to accommodate future development in and around Mesquite