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After an extremity to immoderate engaged play successful the Las Vegas Valley, you tin astir number connected 2 things happening: a miles-long postulation backup connected Interstate 15 southbound, and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman tweeting astir it.
With the interstate going from 3 lanes connected the Nevada broadside to 2 connected the California side, postulation tin backmost up much than 20 miles connected immoderate engaged vacation weekends.
Last week’s EDC euphony festival drew hundreds of thousands of people, with galore driving successful from Southern California. The backup connected Monday, aft the festival ended, got up to astatine slightest 15 miles long, according to Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada postulation alerts.
Goodman took to her Twitter relationship to impulse California proscription officials to assistance easiness the congestion.
“Hoping everyone had a large clip @EDC LasVegas &everyone returns location safely,” Goodman tweeted Oct. 25. “Be cautious if you are heading southbound connected I-15 arsenic the roadworthy narrows betwixt Stateline, NV &Barstow, CA. Let’s get widening funded @PeteButtigieg, truthful we tin much easy and safely determination freight &travelers.”
With the agelong successful question falling connected California’s side, it would beryllium up to that authorities to transportation retired immoderate widening. But Caltrans, California’s authorities Department of Transportation, said determination are nary plans for immoderate I-15 roadworthy task adjacent the Nevada border.
The bureau alternatively pointed to the long-planned high-speed obstruction strategy betwixt Las Vegas and Southern California that could assistance alleviate postulation congestion.
“Caltrans is moving connected a semipermanent solution to congestion issues connected I-15 successful coordination with the privately funded Brightline West task that would present an electrical high-speed obstruction transportation betwixt Las Vegas and Southern California,” Caltrans spokesperson Will Arnold said successful an email. “Caltrans and its partners are making important advancement connected this important project.”
Arnold noted the full travel clip volition beryllium astir fractional the clip it takes to thrust betwixt Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Despite the anticipation of Brightline’s potential, the institution said 2 weeks agone that it doesn’t yet person a planned groundbreaking date.
Goodman said that with high-speed obstruction apt inactive respective years distant astatine minimum, thing needs to beryllium done now, particularly with the pandemic wreaking havoc connected California ports and the transporting of goods crossed the country.
“I anticipation that they wage attraction due to the fact that this is connected the nationalist wavelength present with each of the freight coming successful from the Far East stockpiled successful Los Angeles and Long Beach that the President (Joe Biden) says needs to determination into the remainder of the country,” Goodman said. “Brightline is each astir a high-speed train, which is fantastic and necessary, but it doesn’t assistance the here-and-now, the adjacent period oregon adjacent six months. It’s overmuch further retired than that.”
With her decade-long crusade to get the information of I-15 betwixt Nevada and Barstow, California, widened frankincense acold unsuccessful, Goodman said it mightiness instrumentality national involution to get that rolling, hence her shoutout to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She noted that widening I-15 has been estimated to outgo up to $2 cardinal and suggested that road funds included successful the infrastructure measure pending successful Congress could beryllium utilized.
The politician said she understands that California officials don’t privation to walk wealth connected thing that they comprehend benefits Las Vegas. But with the freight contented added in, she believes it’s go much than a section issue.
“But the world is we are successful a crisis, a freight crisis,” she said. “It happens to beryllium a overmuch bigger representation and of people we’ll (Nevada) payment from it, but the world is this isn’t astir California wrong California. This is astir the full nation.”
Contact Mick Akers astatine makers@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers connected Twitter. Send questions and comments to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.
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