I-15 signs let drivers know what’s ahead

The black electronic signs on Interstate 15 no longer just say "test."

On Friday, the dynamic message signs -- meant to provide commuters with up-to-date traffic information and estimated travel times -- actually did just that.

The signs can be seen on I-15 from the Spaghetti Bowl south to Interstate 215, and will be active from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week. The signs will also provide information about crashes and Amber Alerts.

"We're hopeful that this technology will provide a tremendous benefit to commuters, allowing them to better estimate their times of arrival," said Jacob Snow, general manager for the Regional Transportation Commission.

They are managed by the commission's Freeway Arterial System of Transportation division, or FAST.

The technology used for the message signs has been tested over the past several months, and officials were confident the displayed times would be accurate.

But a Review Journal reporter tested them out, just to be sure.

At 2:46 p.m., a sign on I-15 south near Charleston Boulevard told motorists the estimated time to Flamingo Road was six minutes. The reporter reached Flamingo at 2:52 p.m.

At 3:37 p.m., a sign on I-15 north near Sahara Avenue said the estimated time to U.S. Highway 95 was nine minutes.

The reporter reached the exit for U.S. 95 at 3:47 p.m.

Trucker Shawn Magee saw a sign on the south end of northbound I-15 that was posting a route time Friday morning but didn't pay it any notice.

"I know pretty much what the traffic's going to be like here," he said Friday at the Flying J truck stop at Cheyenne Avenue and Losee Road.

The 39-year-old Magee, who usually hauls cabinetry and other kitchen hardware, knows to expect delays during rush hour and on the weekends in Las Vegas. And if traffic is ever at a standstill, he usually hears about it from other truckers on his CB radio.

"But some places in L.A. have it and it's useful," he said.

Chicago also has a similar system, he said.

"It lets me know whether I need to get off and take a different route," he said.

Message boards soon will be up and running on U.S. 95 and eventually be added to I-15 north of the Spaghetti Bowl after widening of that road is finished in 2010.

Officials with the transportation commission reminded motorists that the displayed times are estimates.

The same information displayed on the signs will eventually be available on the transportation commission's Web site at www.rtcsnv.com.

Review-Journal writer Lawrence Mower contributed to this report. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.