I-15 needs a faster plan

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 | 7:37 a.m.

Here is what Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had to say in 1998 about the 130-mile stretch of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Barstow, Calif. "That's not a freeway. It's a two-lane road that needs significant repairs and expansion."

In 2002 Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, fuming about a return trip to Southern Nevada along the same stretch that took more than eight hours, said, "This is a bad, bad problem."

In 2003 Erin Breen, director of the Safe Community Partnership at UNLV, said, "I have friends who drive here (from Southern California) for the weekend, and I fear for their safety going back."

These are just some of the many comments contained in the Las Vegas Sun archives that reflect the frustration people have with that portion of I-15, which is also known as Las Vegas' lifeline. About a quarter of Southern Nevada's gaming revenue comes from California residents who drive here on that freeway.

The latest comment, as reported by Bloomberg News , came from Gov. Kenny Guinn. He offered this advice to California's weekend visitors: "They should leave maybe on a Thursday instead of Friday."

Over the past several years some improvements have been made. Nevada widened I-15 between Jean and the California border. Nevada also helped California pay for widening the freeway between Victorville and Barstow. Widening of certain stretches, miles of paving projects and improvements to truck lanes have also taken place.

Yet this lifeline for Southern Nevada continues to be a bottleneck, especially on weekends. The delays make some drivers so mad that when there is a little clearance, they speed and cause horrific accidents.

Bloomberg News reported that transportation officials from California and Nevada are planning improvements, but it could take until 2015 for them to be completed. By then, though, growth will have made those improvements obsolete.

We see the situation on I-15 as nothing short of critical, from both safety and economic standpoints. It warrants a summit meeting among the governors of the two states and members of the congressional delegations. Nevada's residents use I-15 to visit Disneyland and other Southern California attractions, and Californians come here for gaming. A fast-track plan, with shared costs, would benefit both states.