Las Vegas traffic falls 19 percent during pandemic

Traffic on Las Vegas Valley freeways is still lagging behind last year’s rates as the coronavirus pandemic continues its grip on the region.

During the first three weeks of August, traffic was down 19 percent overall among the three major freeways, Interstate 15, U.S. Highway 95 and the 215 Beltway, according to Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada data.

And while there’s a weekly 10- to 15-mile traffic backup Sundays near the California border, traffic on I-15 near the state line was still down 16 percent through those first three weeks.

“For the third week of August, we’ve experienced a 16-percent decline in weekend traffic volumes along I-15 near the state line,” said MJ Maynard, RTC CEO. “During this same time frame, we also saw a 24 percent decline in traffic volumes along the I-15 by the Las Vegas Strip. We believe that a large part of the decline in traffic volumes can be attributed to California still maintaining its shelter-in-place directive and that fewer people are working and traveling in the resort corridor compared to this time last year.”

While overall traffic is still down from previous years, traffic at the border of the Silver and Golden states has seen a hefty increase. In April, traffic volume at the border was down 66 percent compared with April 2019. Traffic along that border is dependent on activity on the Las Vegas Strip, so the volume of vehicles on the interstate has been on a gradual incline as more resort properties reopen, with the Mirage being the latest to do so last week.

On the other end of the spectrum, traffic volume at the Arizona-Nevada border was down only 2 percent during the same time frame. That’s a stark difference from April, when volume was down 45 percent compared with April 2019.

Among the three freeways, U.S. 95 saw the lowest year-over-year decrease in August with a cumulative dip of 17 percent at five points spanning the valley. The smallest decrease was near Las Vegas Boulevard, where a 12 percent drop was noted, with the largest decline near where U.S. 95 turns into Interstate 11 near Henderson with a 23 percent fall.

Traffic on U.S. 95 in April was 31 percent below the traffic volume seen in April the previous year.

I-15 saw the second-smallest dip at 19 percent in August, with a 38 percent decrease near North Las Vegas and 16 percent at the Nevada-Arizona line.

The 215 Beltway’s traffic volume dipped 20 percent overall. The smallest drop was a 2 percent dip in the northwest valley and the largest was 20 percent near Tropicana Avenue.

The Beltway, which is undergoing widening on multiple portions in various areas of the valley, was at a 31 percent decrease in traffic volume in April.

So even though you may run into congestion during the morning or afternoon rush hours, traffic is still not back to pre-COVID-19 numbers just yet.

I-15 work

Motorists traveling next month between Nevada and Utah can expect delays as they pass through Mesquite.

Interstate 15 north- and southbound will be reduced to one lane in each direction daily from 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9-Oct. 6, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced last week.

The lane reductions are needed to carry out bridge deck repairs as part of a $9.1 million project spanning over 5 miles of I-15 in the area.

The project began in April and also includes new roadway pavement, new signage installation, and drainage and lighting improvements. Work is taking place in 2-mile increments Mondays through Fridays.

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