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We'll be driving back to L.A. from Las Vegas after the long holiday weekend and we're wondering if there's a reasonable alternative to I-15. On the Sunday following Thanksgiving, my brother and sister-in-law were stuck in traffic for hours at the border, waiting to get through the agricultural checkpoint. We'd like to avoid all that if possible.
On the Sunday following Thanksgiving last month, tens of thousands of cars trying to return to southern California hit a 23-mile-long traffic jam northeast of Primm. Vehicles were backed up for 15 miles as early as 8:30 a.m., the result of three lanes narrowing to two after crossing from Nevada into California on I-15. The new agricultural checkpoint seven miles west of Primm, which has been open for seven months, exacerbated the situation.
And yes, there are a couple of alternatives. You can still get there from here. They're quite a bit longer mileage-wise, but could actually be shorter time-wise, depending on the traffic.
The first route starts off heading west on Rt. 160. This is Blue Diamond Road, the exit off I-15 just south of the Strip where Silverton is. The road is two lanes each way as it winds up into the Spring Mountains. At little Mountain Springs (right at the summit; check out the Mountain Springs Saloon for some local color), the road narrows to one lane in each direction for a six-mile widening project that will be completed next summer. Back on the flats, it becomes two lanes again into Pahrump, 63 miles from the city.
From downtown Pahrump, you head south on Rt. 372, which turns into CA Rt. 127 at Shoshone after 27 miles. From there, it's another 56 miles to Baker, well past the state line at Primm and the ag station. The entire detour is 146 miles, 51 miles longer than the direct route from Las Vegas to Baker on I-15, with a travel time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, as compared to 90 minutes direct without traffic, but God knows how long with.
The other alternative is to drive through Henderson on I-215 and cut off on US 95/I-11 heading south for 78 miles, where you pass the turnoff to Laughlin, then another 23 miles to I-40 in California. From there, it's a fast 133 miles west to Barstow, where you pick up I-15 again. Altogether, it's 234 miles to Barstow, compared to 157 direct on I-15, or three hours and 40 minutes compared to two hours and 25 minutes without traffic on I-15.