Patience … Widening on horizon

First off, I appreciate all the questions from callers to Alan Stock’s radio show on KXNT. As always, I enjoyed my time on the show a week ago and promised to do my best to address the inquiries from listeners. So, with that said, let’s get to it.

Charles is tired of the traffic: Will Durango Drive ever be widened south of Blue Diamond Road near Montana’s steak house?

Eventually, Charles, yes, Clark County will improve that portion of Durango. Like a bunch of projects on the horizon, the county must wait until funding is available. According to Public Works documents, the county intends to widen Durango into a six-lane road between Windmill Lane and Blue Diamond Road. The project is being designed, which is good news because when the money becomes available, crews can get to work immediately.

OK, here’s the biggie from Brian and Cassady: What the heck is going on on Warm Springs and Paradise roads?

Lanes were restricted on Warm Springs Road because of a detour related to the Interstate 15 south design-build project, the Nevada Department of Transportation said.

Because of the closure of the eastbound Interstate 215 ramp onto northbound I-15, traffic was detoured farther east on 215 to Warm Springs Road during construction hours, which are between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

During that time frame, traffic was taken off eastbound Interstate 215 at Warm Springs to loop around, head west on 215 and then return to Interstate 15 north. The cones and lane restrictions snarled traffic something fierce, but this detour should not have been in place during busy commuter hours.

Sharon is curious about school buses: When school buses stop on Ann Road, some drivers traveling in the opposite directions stop and others do not. Ann Road has a median, so are we supposed to stop?

I’ll bet plenty of motorists get confused about this, so thank you Sharon for bringing it up. Here’s the deal: If there is a median in the roadway, traffic traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus do not have to stop, said Michael Rodriguez, a spokesman with the Clark County School District. “If there is a median, that is considered a break in traffic,” he said.

If medians are not in place, everybody must stop, no matter which direction you are traveling or how wide the road is, Rodriguez said.

Because we were on the subject, I asked about crosswalks, which confuse me. If crossing guards are present, motorists must stop at a crosswalk, even if a median is in place, until the entire crosswalk is clear, which means “feet on the sidewalk,” Rodriguez said. If the crossing guards are not present and the road has a median, motorists must wait until the pedestrian has crossed to the other side of the median to proceed.

Roxanne really likes ramp meters: Are there plans to install ramp meters along Interstate 215?

Sorry Roxanne, no plans for the meters on those ramps at this time. If it helps any, the Freeway & Arterial System of Transportation, a division of the Regional Transportation Commission, will start installing electronic message boards and cameras along the 215 from Interstate 15 east into Henderson and from the interstate west up to Durango.

While these tools don’t help traffic, they are nifty when it comes to monitoring it. The boards offer travel times from one exit to another. The cameras allow motorists to check on congestion on the computer, and they allow the RTC to alert motorists of accidents and related delays. The message boards and cameras should be in place early next year.

Kevin is tired of trashy utility poles: Are there any laws that prohibit people from posting signs on telephone poles?

Kevin didn’t get a lot of air time on the radio, but I assume he is talking about signs advertising mechanics or lawn service or pooper scoopers, that sort of thing. Yes, Kevin, in Las Vegas it is illegal, and there is even a hot line to call to report the signs: 229-6615.

Mike wanted to know about Fort Apache Road: On southbound Fort Apache between Russell and Oquendo roads, there is an awful bottleneck. Are there plans to fix that?

Sorry, Mike, according to county public works officials, there are no plans to make improvements to Fort Apache.

When the discussion turned to Sunset Road, Alan came up with a question of his own: How far west will Sunset Road ultimately extend?

Alan lives way far west and doesn’t really have a thoroughfare that leads to his home. I suggested he simply move a little bit east, but that didn’t seem to be a reasonable option for him. County officials say Sunset someday will extend to Durango Drive and even further if the housing industry improves and developments move west. Work on Sunset between Valley View and Decatur boulevards is scheduled to start within the next month.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at (702) 387-2904, or send an e-mail to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.