A Sunday afternoon drive over the Mountain Springs pass turned chaotic when a five-vehicle crash on northbound State Route 160 at mile marker 19 left one person in critical condition and shut down the mountain lanes, according to authorities. The wreck, reported during the evening commute, quickly backed up traffic between Las Vegas and Pahrump as emergency crews rushed in.
Crash and response
Nevada State Police told KTNV that Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded to the northbound crash at 4:38 p.m. and found five vehicles tangled in the wreckage. One person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital in critical condition. NSP said the eastbound, or north, travel lanes at mile marker 19 were closed while crews worked to clear the scene.
Why SR-160 matters
State Route 160, the main artery between Las Vegas and Pahrump, has already been under the safety microscope. The Nevada Department of Transportation has poured multi-million-dollar upgrades into the Mountain Springs corridor. According to the Pahrump Valley Times, the stretch between mile markers 11 and 22 has an above-average crash rate, prompting work that includes raised medians, flattened shoulders, and a wildlife undercrossing near mile marker 18.
Traffic impact and what drivers should know
NSP urged drivers to steer clear of the crash zone and use alternate routes while first responders remained on scene, according to KTNV. Anyone heading to Pahrump or threading through Mountain Springs was told to brace for delays and take it slow as investigators worked to sort out the mangled vehicles.
What engineers hoped to fix
NDOT has said its SR-160 upgrades were intended to improve sight lines and cut down on head-on crashes along the twisting mountain pass. In its project announcement, the NDOT highlighted features such as new median barriers and regraded shoulders, measures meant to give commuters and visitors a safer ride through one of the region’s most heavily traveled mountain corridors.
