CLARK COUNTY, Nev. - Road crews in Nevada are on an emergency repair timeline after flooding damaged another section of I-15 during the most recent storm.
A mile-long section south of Mesquite is the latest wash out. Officials with the Nevada Department of Transportation said flooding during a storm on Saturday closed down the interstate in both directions as the water deeply undercut the asphalt between mile markers 111 and 112.
“Some barrier rail was exposed,” said NDOT associate engineer Tom Stevenson. “Traffic was traveling next to the undermined areas, so we had to immediately close off a lane of travel. Some of the water and rock was actually flowing over the roadway.”
Stevenson said the flooding eroded several hundred thousand cubic feet of dirt. Thursday, dump trucks lined the side of the freeway, waiting to dump in material to refill that area.
Road crews are working 10-hour, back-to-back shifts to get the work done on an accelerated timeline. It’s a provision allowed under the emergency contract to make sure the repairs are done as quickly as possible.
NDOT officials said they recognize I-15 as a major commercial route. The most recent contract comes as crews are still repairing another damaged section a little farther south. A two-mile section of I-15 washed out during a storm on September 8. Contractors reopened one lane in each direction after just four days.
“Unbelievable,” said Nevada motorist John Vanderzee. “They did great work on it. And just knocked it right out.”
The section of I-15 near Mesquite has a cost of $1.4 million and is expected to be complete in about two weeks.
Information on road conditions can be found on NDOT’s website or by dialing 511 in state.
