I-15 from LA to Las Vegas: Your guide for the July 4 holiday weekend and beyond

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A busy holiday weekend in Las Vegas often starts early as traffic from Southern California streams in on Interstate 15. One bad wreck or a road construction project can mean extra hours for the trip.

I-15 is an economic lifeline for Las Vegas, and keeping the traffic moving is a priority here and in California. And I-15 has a heartbeat of its own — a modern-day version of Route 66. The EV revolution has arrived, and for many drivers, an extra stop along the way is a reason to explore the unknown.

July 4th weekend traffic

“Travelers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas (and vice versa) will encounter no road construction projects along the I-15 corridor beginning Wednesday, July 3, through Monday, July 8, thanks to a construction moratorium that is in place for the holiday weekend,” according to Rick Brewer, public information officer at Caltrans headquarters. “All lanes will be open for the duration. Caltrans has crews available, however, should emergency maintenance be required on the roadway.”

And while most Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) projects will also bring minimal restrictions over the holiday weekend, there’s one big exception.

The clear sailing will hit a wall when I-15 reaches Las Vegas. The Tropicana overpass reconstruction is a long-term project and restrictions cannot easily be removed, according to Kelsey McFarland at the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). She provided details on lane restrictions:

• I-15 Northbound & Southbound:
  • I-15 Southbound, Harmon to Tropicana: 4 lanes open (Ongoing through Fall 2024, 24/7)
  • I-15 Northbound, Russell to Hacienda: 4 lanes open (Ongoing through Fall 2024, 24/7)
  • I-15 Northbound, Hacienda to Tropicana: 3 lanes open (Ongoing through Fall 2024, 24/7)
• I-15 Ramps:
  • I-15 Northbound off-ramp to Tropicana Eastbound & Westbound: All lanes closed (Ongoing until Fall 2024, 24/7)
  • Tropicana on-ramp to I-15 Southbound: All lanes closed (Ongoing until Fall 2024, 24/7)
  • I-15 Northbound off-ramp to Frank Sinatra/Arena: All lanes closed (Ongoing until Fall 2024, 24/7)
  • I-15 Southbound flyover ramp to Tropicana Eastbound: All lanes closed (Ongoing until Fall 2024, 24/7)

“These measures are essential to the progress and safety of the ongoing projects, and we appreciate the public’s understanding and cooperation. We recommend planning ahead and considering alternative routes during this period,” McFarland said.

Over the past two years, fewer people have come to Las Vegas on I-15, according to NDOT estimates. That changed in March and May of this year, but not by much.

Road trip

Las Vegas sometimes feels like an island. It’s hundreds of miles to Los Angeles and San Diego, and about the same distance to Phoenix. It’s even farther to Salt Lake City or Reno.

But sometimes you just have to get out of town, and a road trip is half the fun. Gas prices are even cooperating this year, with the average price in Las Vegas at $3.91 (and under $3.40 if you fuel up at Costco, Sam’s Club or a handful of independent stations), according to gasbuddy.com .

That’s a bonafide bargain for Californians, who are paying an average of $4.63 in San Bernardino, and $4.61 in Riverside.

More and more EVs on the road means a new kind of fuel demand.

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft knows first-hand.

“My family has an electric car. We’ve taken it many times to Southern California. It’s as seamless as can be and that work is not even done,” Naft said Tuesday.

“I think ensuring that we’re not leaving out or forgetting that market is really important. So things like Eddie’s World, which have just capitalized on this sort of mandate to stop and recharge are really important,” he said.

EddieWorld, which bills itself as California’s largest gas station, including four ChargePoint EV stations, is in Yermo. That’s about 145 miles from Las Vegas. It opened in early 2018, the second location after the original, which opened in Beatty, Nevada, along U.S. 95 in 2001. It’s sometimes compared to Buc-ee’s, a bigger name in Texas and the southeast U.S.

Such stops are perfect for drivers to kill some time while their EV charges. It’s much more than a bathroom break.

At EddieWorld, a line of candy sold under the Death Valley Nut & Candy Co. brand features some sweets you know, and some you might not have seen for sale in a long time. It’s a destination in itself that becomes something to look forward to on a long trip.

Remember Stuckey’s? Similar idea for a new generation.

But if you’re not into the whole roadside attraction thing, you can find a charging station at a rest area just northeast of there — the Clyde V. Kane Rest Area, maintained by Caltrans.

See a map of all charging stations in the U.S. here , or view NDOT’s map of EV infrastructure in Nevada here .

Naft said the charging stations on the route are important, especially coming out of California where EVs are ahead of Nevada’s pace.

“Everyone might not see that value right now, but in the long run, if we’re making it that much easier for people to get here, that helps defer the costs that local taxpayers have to pay for our services because of the visitors that we need and want so badly,” he said.

Points of interest

There’s no shortage of distractions along the way if you have time to explore.

“In my time, the most important stop was at the outlet mall in Barstow,” Naft recalls. “That was before we had the Premium Outlets in either downtown Las Vegas or even the south Strip. And that was kind of the marquee stop, going and stopping at Barstow for — in my family’s case, a couple hours — to go shopping on the way to California.”

Here’s a short list of places to see on the way from LA:

• Barstow Station: A McDonald’s and several other fast food outlets are combined in a train-themed attraction.
• The oldest Del Taco: Also in Barstow, find the longest-operating Del Taco, which opened in 1964. There’s a special menu.
• Calico Ghost Town Regional Park: A fun place to explore just a short drive north from Yermo.
• The Mad Greek: Trade the burger for a gyro. A favorite stop in Baker, California, not far from …
• The World’s Largest Thermometer: Just what it says. Your dad’s Instagram moment.

• The Country Store: Just a convenience store in Baker, but it has an uncanny lucky streak of winning lottery tickets.
• Buffalo Bill’s Resort & Casino, Primm Valley Casino Resorts, Whiskey Pete’s: Once you’re at the border, do you have the will to continue to Las Vegas? Side notes: The outlet mall at Primm recently lost its last store. Buffalo Bill’s Desperado roller coaster closed in 2020, but is still being maintained.
• Seven Magic Mountains: You’ll have to exit at Jean, Nevada, then go north on Las Vegas Boulevard to get to this popular stop for photos.

Changes on the horizon

High-speed trains between LA and Las Vegas have been a dream for decades. Now a proven company and federal funding are starting to produce results as Brightline West makes progress on the project.

“I think you’ll see as it continues to move that there probably won’t be any one project that impacts the state of Nevada more than this project will,” Naft said. “This is a generational project, and in Brightline you have an operator who has been successful in Florida, has gotten the job done, and is doing so here, too.”

Brightline broke ground in early 2024 and Naft said all the environmental work for the project is done. Trains could be running in time for the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games in 2028, according to NDOT’s project overview. The project is expected to cost at least $12 billion. It will run from Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, where other trains will take passengers into LA.

Another project that’s along the route: Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. The 386-megawatt plant began operation at the end of 2013. It consists of mirrors that track the sun and concentrate solar energy onto three towers to produce steam that turns turbines.

And Naft said another needed project will shape the I-15 corridor’s future. The Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport — a second airport to take some of the load off Harry Reid International Airport — has a timeline that is still emerging after stops and starts connected to the Great Recession in 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That has the potential to change this entire conversation when it comes to the south portion of Clark County.”

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