Traffic signals went dark across multiple corridors in the Las Vegas valley on Sunday after power outages knocked out electricity in several areas, prompting a public alert from the region’s transportation agency urging drivers to treat every non-functioning signal as an all-way stop. The warning came as crews worked to restore power following what local reporting described as circuit faults disrupting service across the metro area.
RTC Southern Nevada, the transportation planning and transit authority for the region, posted the alert on its social media account, warning residents that “multiple power outages” had been reported and directing the public to check its website for further updates, according to RTC Southern Nevada. The agency operates the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation, known as FAST, which actively manages more than 1,700 traffic signals, 1,300 traffic cameras, and 70 ramp meters throughout the Las Vegas valley, according to RTC Southern Nevada’s own reporting on its board activities.
The outages that darkened signals Sunday followed primary distribution circuit faults in Clark County that triggered sudden power losses across key corridors in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, as reported by the Review-Journal. Automated circuit protection systems are designed to isolate high-voltage faults by dropping local power, which can leave entire intersections without functioning signals until crews complete repairs.
What Nevada Law Requires at Dark Intersections
Under Nevada Revised Statute 484B.257, drivers approaching an intersection with an inoperative traffic signal are legally required to treat it as though a stop sign had been erected at each entrance, coming to a complete stop before entering the crosswalk or intersection, according to Nevada’s statutory code. That legal obligation is the basis for RTC’s alert reminding motorists that a dark signal is not optional to navigate carefully — it is a mandated stop…