ROAD CONDITIONS: Mountain pass from Pahrump to Vegas icy, but open
MOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Patches of ice were still causing issues for some travelers on Highway 160 early Tuesday morning between Pahrump and Las Vegas, but conditions are expected to improve as temperatures warm into the mid-40s there by later Wednesday.
Snow-covered roads in the higher elevations closed the mountain pass for several hours on Monday, delaying hundreds of commuters and leaving some travelers stranded on the mountain until plows could clear the road.
The Nevada Department of Transportation advised motorists to use snow chains on their tires and all-wheel drive from Mountain Springs to Wheeler Pass Road in Pahrump as emergency crews responded to a number of single-vehicle crashes on the mountain Monday morning and well into the early afternoon.
Wreckers were seen towing a number of vehicles out of roadside ditches just before 10 a.m. Monday into the early noon hours when the road finally reopened.
Heavy fog decreased visibility in the area, adding to the treacherous conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, there were 3.6 inches of snow in the Spring Mountain and Sheep Range areas.
Road crews redirected motorists between Pahrump and Las Vegas to use U.S. 95 on Monday, but that highway was also closed around noon on Monday at mile-marker 81 following a three-vehicle collision. It reopened about an hour later.
Contact Editor Brent Schanding at bschanding@pvtimes.com
