Nevada Department of Transportation celebrates 100 years of a road well traveled
Starting out with paving a few humble dirt roads, the Nevada Department of Transportation has evolved over the past century into an agency that oversees construction of the state’s busiest highways.
NDOT kicked off its 100th anniversary this month by revamping the agency’s website, where users can click through a series of vintage photos of the people and projects who helped shape the state’s vast system of freeways, roads and bridges.
A 54-page e-book, “Silver Century: Transporting Nevada’s Past, Present and Future,” is expected to be released this week, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said. The book is free and available for download at www.nevadadot.com/100.
Divided by decade, each chapter highlights major projects, including a trestle bridge that was built over the Humboldt River in 1919, the opening of the Spaghetti Bowl freeway interchange in 1968 and ongoing work for the new Interstate 11 near Boulder City.
“Our centennial milestone led to self-reflection about the department’s past, present and future,” Illia said. “The department designed, built and maintained the state’s infrastructure for a century, helping fuel its growth and prosperity while also connecting families, communities and commerce.”
NDOT officials plan to continue celebrating the centennial through the end of the year by posting “Throwback Thursday” photos and “Fun Fact Friday” trivia questions on the agency’s social media channels.
Nevada residents can also visit the NDOT website to submit their memories about state transportation projects. Your statements might be included with NDOT’s social media posts.
ROADWAY RECTANGLES
When traveling on Interstate 15, a few of you may have noticed six rectangular markings spanning for several miles between the towns of Sloan and Jean.
Tom from Las Vegas wanted to know why they were placed there.
Four years ago, the pavement was embedded with sensors capable of detecting the freeway’s current conditions, Illia said. The sensors, connected by fiber optics, relay that information to a traffic management system in Las Vegas operated by NDOT and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
If needed, the traffic information is posted on digital signs along I-15.
SEVERENCE OR SEVERANCE?
Joaquin from Centennial Hills noticed a discrepancy with the spelling of a road sign in his neighborhood. The sign for “Severance Lane” is at Frontage Road. Farther west, the sign reads “Severence Lane” at Hualapai Way.
“Why the difference, and what would it take to correct the mistake?” Joaquin asked in an email to the Road Warrior.
I’m not sure why the error occurred, but the correct spelling is “Severence,” Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said. Your questions prompted the city to recently submit a work order for a new sign at the street’s intersection with Frontage.
ST. ROSE SIGNAL
Lee from Henderson wanted to know whether the signal timing could be adjusted for drivers wanting to make a left turn from St. Rose Parkway onto Maryland Parkway.
“The light waits through long periods of traffic before allowing the turn,” Lee said. “I’m sure that the timing at this intersection could be greatly improved.”
Crews will be dispatched to evaluate the signal timing at this intersection, but “there are a number of issues that could result in a long wait,” Henderson city spokeswoman Kim Becker said.
SETTING IT STRAIGHT
The Road Warrior answered a question last month for Toni from Henderson, who wanted to know whether the city planned to extend southbound Maryland Parkway to Volunteer Boulevard. The answer I received from Henderson city spokeswoman Kim Becker was incorrect, as noted by Chris Jones, a spokesman for McCarran International Airport.
It turns out the county’s Department of Aviation owns much of the property south of the current terminus for Maryland Parkway, and there were no immediate plans to extend the road, as noted in the column that ran in the Feb. 27 edition of the Road Warrior.
After chatting with both sides, the Road Warrior learned that Becker meant to say that construction will start sometime next year to extend Sunridge Heights Parkway as a way to make it easier for drivers to get in and out of the Sun City Anthem area.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior
ROAD WORK AHEAD
— Stanley Avenue will be restricted near Nellis Boulevard through Friday. Crews are completing sewer work.
— Commerce Street is restricted between Wyoming Avenue and Main Street through Friday for road improvements.
— The high-occupancy vehicle ramp connecting northbound U.S. Highway 95 and westbound Summerlin Parkway will close from 9 p.m. April 3 to 9 p.m. April 5. Crews are painting new barrier rails.
— Hopi Lane will be restricted between Bonanza Road and Harris Avenue from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays until April 7. Crews are completing sewer work.
— The inside lanes of Interstate 15 will be closed in both directions between U.S. Highway 95 and Owens Avenue until 5 a.m. April 7. Crews are building support columns for new traffic management signs.
—Nellis Boulevard will be restricted between Alto and Cheyenne avenues from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays through April 21. Crews are completing sewer work.
— Cecile Avenue will be restricted between Lamont Street and Nellis Boulevard until April 21. Crews are completing sewer work.
— Lone Mountain Road is restricted between Cliff Shadows Parkway and the 215 Beltway until April 22. Crews are working on an overpass.
— Southbound Durango Drive will be restricted between Wigwam Avenue and Blue Diamond Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through April 28. Crews are doing sewer work.
— The Warm Springs Road exit from the eastbound 215 Beltway will be closed through June. Crews are building a new bridge over the highway.
— The northbound U.S. Highway 95 exit ramp to Rancho Drive will be closed from Thursday to June 21 for work associated with Project Neon.
— Northbound U.S. Highway 95 will be reduced to one lane between Craig Road and the Beltway from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays through June. Crews are working on the Centennial Bowl ramps.
— Southbound U.S. Highway 95 will be reduced to one lane between Durango Drive and Ann Road from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays through June. Crews are working on the Centennial Bowl ramps.
— Oakey Boulevard is closed between Main and Commerce streets through July. Crews are installing underground utilities and storm drain infrastructure.
— Summerlin Parkway’s westbound lanes will be restricted between Buffalo Drive and Rampart Boulevard through July. Crews are building a new auxiliary lane and making other improvements.
— The 13-mile scenic route at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area will be repaved in one-mile increments through summer.
— U.S. Highway 95 will be restricted between Rancho Drive and just east of Interstate 15 through January 2018. Crews are building a new flyover ramp for high-occupancy vehicles as part of Project Neon.
— Sections of Bonneville Avenue, Charleston Boulevard, Grand Central Parkway and Martin Luther King Boulevard will have closed or disrupted lanes surrounding the Spaghetti Bowl through July 2018 as crews work on Project Neon.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.61 per gallon. It was $2.64 in Nevada. The national average of $2.29 is the same as a week ago, up 1 cent from a month ago and up 28 cents from a year ago.
