What Is the California Agriculture Checkpoint that Causes Traffic Jams?

I’m a frequent visitor from Canada and as such have never made the NV/CA drive. What exactly is the agricultural checkpoint that seems to create a huge traffic backup?

The traffic jams after weekends on Interstate 15 southbound (into California) are caused by two factors.

First, I-15 is three lanes south of Las Vegas all the way to the state line at Primm. But it narrows to two lanes when it enters California.

Second, all traffic slows to a crawl in another seven miles to pass through the Border Protection Station.

The station, operated by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, was located in Yermo, a few miles east of Barstow (100 miles west of the state line) from 1963 till September 2018, when it was moved much closer to the border with Nevada. Even though the two-year-old checkpoint has six lanes for autos and trucks have their own inspection area, and most cars are waved through, all cars and trucks have to come to a rolling stop, if not a complete halt, at the tollbooth-like stations.

In all, the I-15 Protection Station is one of 16 on highways that enter California checking for plant material (fruits, vegetables, plants, etc.) in violation of state or federal plant-quarantine laws. They're there to prevent the import of certain types of plant and insect life that California considers to be potentially damaging to Golden State crops.

Why? California's agricultural economy is, in a word, ginormous, adding around $50 billion annually to the state's economy (not including the impact of agriculture on other sectors, such as shipping and warehousing). To put this in perspective, that $50 billion is the largest ag amount for any state and it's reportedly 12.5% of the total agricultural production for all 50 states.

These Border Protection Stations confiscate more than 80,000 lots of plant materials from the 20 million private vehicles and seven million commercial vehicles that enter the Golden State every year.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Have a question that hasn't been answered? Email us with your suggestion.

Missed a Question of the Day?

Have a Question?

Tomorrow's Question

Why aren't the slot machines changed yet?

Comments

JimBeam Sep-23-2020

It all goes back to the fruit fly

Anyone who grew up in SoCal in the 80s remembers all the spraying they had to do for the fruit fly. I remember you had to look on your news broadcast to see if your neighborhood was being sprayed that night. That seemed to go on for a long, long time and CA doesn't want any part of that again.

IdahoPat Sep-23-2020

The Ag Checkpoint is why ...

... the various light rail train proposals have a puncher's chance of surviving, maybe even thriving.

Getting to Vegas, no matter where you're at in SoCal, is pretty much sixes. Flying saves some time, driving saves some money. But it's the Sunday drive back that's a game-changer. And I-15 in Victorville widens to at least 4 lanes, and once you get through the Cajon Pass, 5 lanes. With what I've researched on time and price, the Victorville train just might hit that sweet spot where it's not too pricey, and definitely cuts down on Sunday travel time. Which should mean later nights and/or more Sunday morning action for train travelers. Especially when you are putting off the time between leaving your hotel and getting into a car by 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Eric Forman Sep-23-2020

Never drive home on Sunday

@IdahoPat, I live in SoCal and whenever I do a Vegas weekend I drive out Saturday morning and come home Monday evening. I know some people like to knock off work early on Friday for their Vegas weekends, but the extra time spent in traffic ruins the whole experience. And normally the gridlock has nothing to do with the agricultural checkpoint. All it takes is one or two accidents in traffic lanes to back things up for miles.

jeepbeer Sep-23-2020

that new sign

One other reason.  That sign that says number of minutes to points south.  Better slow down and see what it says.  It says 42 minutes to Baker.  No, wait, now it says 44 minutes . . . better slow down so we don't miss the next change.

Sep-23-2020

response to comments

One thing a few people implied but didn't say is that the freeway between Barstow & the NV State line has only 2 lanes in each direction (except for one stretch) when it should have 4 in each direction. I don't know why the Powers That Be have not made the freeway 4 lines in each direction all the way from L.A. to the NV state line. We all know that it could use it, especially for the Friday PM drive from SoCal to Vegas & the Sunday PM drive back to SoCal. But given the way things are, let me say an alternative for folks who have to go up and back during those hours. For the trip back, avoid I-15 and take the highway southeast to just before Boulder City, then go south on Hwy 95 to I-40. Take I-40 to Barstow and then take Main Street through Barstow, which will become old Route 66, which goes to Victorville. Then you get on I-15 & cross your fingers. If you live in the San Fernando Valley, you can take state Hwy 18 from Victorville to state Hwy 138 to state Hwy 122 to the 14 south.

Question of the Day - 23 September 2020

Comments