The new stretch of I-11 that opened near Boulder City boasts scenic views and allows travelers to shave off 30 minutes from their drive to Arizona.
That's because it bypasses Boulder City, where speeds are much lower and you have to drive through the town, and instead has a large, open freeway.
But now, some are still having trouble finding it. There are only a few digital signs to alert you when your turn is coming, and some navigation apps are still having some glitches recognizing the new freeway.
When we tested our directions on Apple Maps, it routed us onto the 93, the old route through Boulder City, and even when we got on the 11 anyway, it still tried to get us off and back on to the 93.
Chris Corns from Oklahoma says he had the same problem. "It was a confusing mess," he says. He ended up on the I-11, but says his GPS kept trying to send him down random dirt roads and trying to get him to turn around.
Some are also complaining there's not enough signage to notify motorists. Coming south out of Henderson, there are only 2 large digital banners, and a few road signs to let you know to stay on the 11.
NDOT tells us they're working on eventually adding more, telling us in a statement:
“We have since placed a dynamic message board along the new I-11 alignment, which will augment the existing freeway signage until a more permanent solution can be found. The Department is continuing to monitor live traffic patterns over the newly opened interstate, making future operational adjustments as necessary, thereby ensuring motorists remain safe and connected. The newly opened freeway meets all current Interstate Highway Design criteria, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is a federally designated interstate with very specific design criteria for materials, construction, access and signage, among other things."
As for the navigation apps, NDOT says they work with Waze to update their latest traffic information, and that as of today, Google Maps had been updated. We checked Google ourselves, and that was the case. NDOT also says you shouldn't rely too heavily on navigation apps, telling us:
"NDOT continues working with third-party navigation apps, but there is often a lag time for the technology to catch up with the latest road conditions. We caution people not to rely too heavily on navigation applications. Not all of them are accurate."
