Check valley roads online before you head out
It can be frustrating leaving for work or an errand only to bump into a traffic jam caused by an accident. I-15 at Sahara, anyone? The Regional Transportation Commission’s electronic message boards are helpful, but often it is too late to ditch the freeway and find another route. There is no perfect solution, but hopefully some information in this first item will help a bit.
What’s the frequency, Kent? Why is it that not one local radio station airs regular traffic reports, especially at night or on weekends?
Kent has dogged me about this for months, and to be honest, I don’t have an answer for him. I don’t have the time to call radio stations to find out when their traffic reports air and how frequently on the weekends. Hopefully, radio producers will check this out and let us know who does the best job of reporting traffic accidents.
Here is a tip for Kent and others who have been frustrated that the Interstate 15 cameras have not worked on home computers. Check out this website: http://bugatti.nvfast.org/CCTVSnapshot
WallMobile.aspx. This offers live shots of freeways and arterials across the Las Vegas Valley, and the snapshots refresh every five seconds, giving motorists a great way to monitor traffic before leaving home.
Andrew wants yield signs: It seems that Nevada Department of Transportation has forgotten to place a very important yield sign at the merge between the Interstate 215 to Blue Diamond Road and the Interstate 15 to Blue Diamond ramps. It is difficult to see cars from either lane, and they merge rather quickly. Any plans on fixing this problem?
Not immediately. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Booth said engineers see no need for a yield sign and actually believe installing one could cause a hazard. They fear that when motorists see the sign, they might stop, causing accidents. They believe the existing merge sign seen by drivers approaching westbound Blue Diamond Road from westbound I-15 does the trick. Engineers will visit the area again, though, to see whether perhaps another merge sign, one that is more visible from Interstate 215, is needed.
Kevin wants a cleanup: Is it possible for the Transportation Department to conduct a sweep of the shoulders on U.S. Highway 95 north of the Kyle Canyon exit? I often ride my bike up to Indian Springs or Lee Canyon but have suffered four flat tires in my last six rides, two during one ride that left me stranded 15 miles from my start. The recently ended repaving of the roadway is great, but it is too bad the shoulders are getting overstrewn with debris.
A cleanup crew is coming to the rescue. Booth said the department is sending out crews this week to tidy up the shoulders. The department also is writing a new contract with an Adopt-A-Highway group, so hopefully you and your tires will have a consistently safer ride.
I added a follow-up question: Wait, you can legally ride your bike on a freeway?
Yes, where the traffic is lighter, such as on U.S. 95, it is perfectly OK to ride your bike on the shoulder.
Greg is mystified: As you exit southbound I-15 at Charleston Boulevard, you are diverted to Martin Luther King Boulevard, which ultimately takes you to Charleston. As you enter MLK, there is a road sign that appears to be for a very specific purpose. This sign looks to be an electronically activated sign, yet I have never seen it activated. I have also noticed the same type of sign at other expressway exits such as U.S. 95 and Eastern Avenue. Could you shed some light on the purpose of these signs and when they would be activated?
You probably want to hope that you have never seen these signs lit up because that probably will mean you are stuck in a nasty traffic jam. The signs have sprouted throughout the valley close to freeways over the past year. They look like interstate signs but are dark. They are used to mark detour routes when vehicles are forced off the freeway during bad accidents.
Ken and Cactus: When will construction of the Cactus Avenue ramp to the I-15 begin, if ever? For the people who live on the south end of the valley, it is such a hassle using either Decatur Boulevard — three lanes down to one lane — or Dean Martin, where traffic is as bad as the Strip. If you don’t know, can you point me in the right direction for someone to ask?
You’ve come to the right place, Ken. Construction of the Cactus-I-15 interchange is scheduled to start around late fall of this year and be completed by mid-2014. The $57 million project also includes widening Cactus Avenue to six lanes between Las Vegas Boulevard and Polaris Avenue.
Quick update on scooters and traffic signals: If you recall, a caller recently complained that traffic signal sensors do not recognize his scooter, and he finds himself stuck at a red light when no one else is on the road. Traffic officials suggest he pull up just short of the solid white stop bar. A scooter driver named Bob was kind enough to share this: “I ran into the same problem at lights, but now I turn my bright lights on and it seems to work.”
Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@
reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.
For the next several months, expect road closures behind the east side of the Strip. Closed roads include Ida Avenue between Audrie Street and Koval Lane, Winnick Avenue between Audrie and Koval, and Audrie north of Albert Avenue.
For the next two years, watch for lane shifts on the Las Vegas Beltway between Interstate 15 and Windmill Lane as crews widen the freeway. Bridges at Paradise Road, Warm Springs Road and Robindale Road and the airport connector tunnel also are being widened.
Through July, expect delays on Valley View Boulevard between U.S. Highway 95 and Desert Inn Road because of a widening project.
Through July, expect delays on Jones Boulevard between U.S. 95 and Sahara Avenue because of a widening project.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average price of gasoline in the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday was $3.71 per gallon; the state average was $3.75; the national average was $3.68.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
