RTC cameras show traffic backed up from Jean, Nev., on I-15 on Nov. 27, 2022.
RTC/Screen View
An 18-mile stretch of I-15 on the California-Nevada border is a parking lot as drivers try to get home after Thanksgiving.
The normally 25-minute drive from Jean, Nev., to Mountain Pass, Calif., took drivers almost 90 minutes on Sunday. The interstate is the only major road between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and when its three lanes are full, there’s nowhere to turn.
As of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, the reservation begins just past the Seven Magic Mountains tourist attraction and extends beyond Primm to the Nevada border. It’s getting worse by the hour, so unless drivers are already on the road, it could be a long day to get home. “Prepare for Long Delays,” RTC posted on Twitter shortly before 10 o’clock
Traffic was heavy even on Saturday. The Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission warned of miles-long delays and warned drivers to refuel, check their tires and bring water in preparation for stop-and-go traffic. The same stretch of highway saw similar wait times last Thanksgiving weekend.
The problem is so bad on I-15 that last year California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak pledged to fund a project to widen the road. The first phase ended earlier this month, meaning today’s traffic could be even worse.
In the Bay Area, it’s also a chaotic day at the airports. Before 9 a.m., NBC Bay Area reported that the line for TSA at Oakland International Airport was already out the door.
