Airport, highway patrol brace for heavy traffic

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004 | 11:06 a.m.

Las Vegas officials are expecting full freeways, packed parking structures and an abundance of air travelers as the busiest travel period of the year begins Wednesday.

More than 270,000 Nevadans are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes for the Thanksgiving holiday, and McCarran International Airport is bracing for an estimated 150,000 passengers on Wednesday, and again on Sunday, officials said.

"It's going to be busy," McCarran spokeswoman Debbie Millett said. "From Friday Nov. 19 through Monday Nov. 29 we are expecting 1.25 million passengers will pass through the airport."

AAA is estimating that of the more than a quarter-million Nevadans traveling for the holiday, an estimated 228,000-plus are expected to drive.

Nevada Highway Patrol Lt. Joseph Wingard is expecting heavy traffic on Interstate 15 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

"The weather is supposed to start clearing up Tuesday, and as long as that happens we'll probably have typical holiday traffic," Wingard said. "No one is a good weatherman including a weatherman, but from what I've seen we should be OK.

"If the weather doesn't cooperate things could get interesting."

Things got interesting Sunday when snow fell in the high desert along I-15, closing the freeway in the El Cajon pass. On Monday morning a fuel pipeline owned by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, near Baker, Calif., burst, resulting in a temporary closure of the interstate. The road was reopened Monday and the pipeline repairs were expected to be completed Wednesday, Kinder Morgan said in a press release today.

As long as it is repaired within a few days, the broken line should not affect the price or supply of gasoline in the Las Vegas Valley, experts said.

The Nevada and California highway patrol will have additional troopers working through the holiday weekend in the I-15 corridor.

AAA spokesman Michael Geeser said that nationwide the insurer estimates that 37.2 million Americans will be traveling more than 50 miles from their home during the holiday. He said the busiest travel day by car is Thursday.

Gas prices are about 57 cents higher per gallon than last year at this time, but Geeser said that won't be a factor as the number of people traveling during the holiday will rise above pre-9/11 levels for the first time.

"It just shows that no matter the cost of gas people are determined to travel to be with family and friends," Geeser said.

In the past Thanksgiving was considered a quiet time in Las Vegas, but now it is like any other holiday weekend, said Erika Yowell, a spokeswoman with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

"Anytime we have a holiday weekend and people have off from work it's a boon to Las Vegas," Yowell said.

Millett recommends that everyone flying out of McCarran allow for extra time and call the airline in advance before heading to the airport to see if the flight is on time.

"It's very likely that our long-term parking structure will be full Wednesday," Millett said. "Savvy travelers will want to go to the remote parking area off Russell Road."

Travelers are shuttled from the remote lot to the airport and should plan on spending an additional 30 minutes on that commute.

Transportation Security Administration officials are asking that travelers are prepared when they arrive at security checkpoints, and have their winter coats and jackets off and ready for screening.

The TSA is also asking that any holiday gifts travelers are bringing with them remain unwrapped so that the contents can easily be identified.