Dreaded Henderson intersection to get another left turn lane

A dreaded intersection in west Henderson in the middle of the ever expanding St. Rose Parkway area is set for a revamp that will bring relief to area commuters.

St. Rose Parkway westbound to Executive Airport Drive southbound will see another left turn lane added to the existing one, a move aimed at alleviating the typical peak-hour traffic backup that occurs at the intersection.

Construction is slated to begin in late March or April, according to Kathy Blaha, Henderson spokeswoman. Work is slated to occur between 9 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., according to the project right-of-way occupancy permit from the Nevada Department of Transportation.

During morning and afternoon rush hours currently, drivers are usually met with a line of cars waiting to turn left as the intersection is one of the main roads leading to the Inspirada subdivision.

“At almost any hour in the afternoon one must wait through at least two, sometimes three, green arrows to make that left turn,” said Review-Journal reader Toni Epler. “The traffic out here is getting ridiculous and the roads just cannot handle it.”

Plans call for reducing the center median on St. Rose Parkway at Executive Airport to open up space for the dual left turn lanes.

Additionally, crews will widen the pocket for turn lanes for St. Rose eastbound to Starr Avenue northbound (the road is called Executive Airport to the south of the intersection and Starr to the north), according to NDOT plans.

The addition of the turn lanes isn’t the only road improvement project planned for the area, as the expansion of Sunridge Heights Parkway is under various stages of work.

Last year Sunridge Parkway was extended to Maryland Parkway, with an additional small portion being constructed west of Executive Airport, across from the Levi’s facility. Future plans call for connecting the two points with a portion running just behind Henderson Executive Airport, including a portion that could run below grade at the north edge of the airport.

The projects can’t come soon enough, as traffic is slated to keep growing in the area with the Raiders headquarters and practice facility, a planned Amazon fulfillment center, a soon-to-open Smith’s distribution center and other commercial, residential and retail projects planned for the surrounding area.

“It (traffic) has become even worse,” said Douglas Chinn, who lives in the area and initially contacted the R-J last year about the issue. “It now often takes three signal cycles and traffic backs up behind the turn lane into regular traffic — a crash waiting to happen. Even worse, people are illegally turning left from the adjacent lane, or cutting cars off, squeezing in at the last minute. This has occurred to me and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.