March 25, 2023 Littlefield, Arizona reports heavy traffic this weekend. Photo credit: St. George News, Nick Yamashita
st. George — Travelers are stuck in traffic at Littlefield and a bridge under construction on Interstate 15 in Arizona this weekend during high-profile events in Las Vegas.
Travelers in both the northbound and southbound lanes are moving at a dead-end pace, with congestion receding by more than a mile.
Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District battalion commander André Ojeda said the extra traffic from the Las Vegas event was causing moderate to severe congestion, especially on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15. Said there was
Surprisingly, only one vehicle crash was reported yesterday afternoon, he said.
“It happened during the worst traffic backup,” Ojeda said. “Around mile post 12 in the canyon”
Ojeda said the incident involved five vehicles, none of whom were seriously injured, and all refused medical evacuation. He said the car had suffered extensive damage that was caused by a lack of caution while driving.
One of the major events causing extra traffic is the March Madness NCAA Tournament at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday and Friday nights.
The Allegiant Stadium will host another high-profile event Saturday night with music star Taylor Swift. She also gave a sold-out concert last night.according to Las Vegas Review JournalAt the sold-out concert, thousands of visitors waited for hours just to buy souvenirs.
Other events Includes Las Vegas Sneaker Convention, Maroon 5’s first residency concert, Adele’s last residency concert, WWE’s Undertaker: Friday Night SmackDown performance, and John Mellencamp’s special appearance at Wynn.
“If you pass through here, you should add at least 45 minutes,” said Ojeda. “Some people are traveling on the old Route 91. It helped.”
Ojeda said that with this kind of traffic, drivers need to exercise extra caution and exercise due diligence while driving.
He said traffic would return Sunday through Monday afternoon for people heading home.
The southbound lane was seen with traffic receding to Cedar Pocket (Milepost 18).
“Be careful when traveling this weekend, especially when you get home,” said Ojeda. “We want everyone to be safe home or wherever they are going.”
The bridge construction project is expected to be completed by May 2024.
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