Las Vegas motorists slowed by boat (really) a day after record rain

The morning after a record-breaking rainstorm soaked the valley, motorists were surprised to find their morning commute interrupted by a slow-moving boat at the Spaghetti Bowl.

But this was no ark. It was only a coincidence.

A houseboat being hauled to Lake Havasu clogged the valley's busiest interchange during rush hour Friday morning, as it squeezed and scraped its way along a connector ramp not quite wide enough to accommodate it.

Trooper Loy Hixson, spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol, said the boat was about 24 feet wide, while the ramp from southbound Interstate 15 to southbound U.S. Highway 95 is about 23 feet wide.

As a result, it took the oversized load, under escort from the Highway Patrol, about an hour to navigate through the Spaghetti Bowl.

"Like watching a snail race, right?" Hixson said.

Along the way, the boat appears to have scraped some directional signs, guardrails and concrete bridge barriers, resulting in several thousand dollars in damage, said Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The owner of the boat or the company that transported it could be on the hook for any repairs to public property.

Magruder said a crew would be sent to inspect the ramp when there is less traffic. "We're certainly going to take a look at it."

A boat might have come in handy at the Spaghetti Bowl on Thursday night, when the Highway Patrol was forced to close a different ramp because of water collecting on the road.

Hixson, only half-joking, called it "Lake Las Vegas."

More than three-quarters of an inch of rain fell at the valley's official weather station at McCarran International Airport on Thursday, besting the old record for the date by more than half an inch.

Since Aug. 1, Las Vegas has received
4.4 inches of rain, more than the valley sees in an average year.

More surprising than that: The weather station at McCarran also recorded a trace of snow on Thursday, which would be some kind of record, obviously, if only it were true.

As it turns out, the National Weather Service's equipment can't tell the difference between snow and hail.

Several valley neighborhoods saw both hail and rain Thursday night, with strong winds and an impressive display of lightning.

On Friday morning, county maintenance crews fanned out to clear storm debris from roads, as the American Red Cross went to inspect flood damage and offer aid at a handful of homes, mostly on the east side.

It's unknown whether any of those post-storm responders were slowed by the high-end houseboat wedged into the Spaghetti Bowl.

Magruder said the vessel was being moved through the state from Jackpot to Laughlin under what he called an "over-dimensional permit" that generally requires the transportation company to use pilot vehicles and stick to an approved route and schedule.

He couldn't say why a boat that large was trying to move through such a congested area right at rush hour.

"Something happened," Magruder said, "and we're going to look into it, absolutely."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.