Dates set for I-15 closure
This week readers want to know when Interstate 15 will be shut down for blasting; what is the reason for the construction on Lone Mountain Road in North Las Vegas; and what is going on with the bus service at Meadows mall.
Ron asks: When is the dynamiting happening on I-15?
Ron, along with a number of other readers, has been wondering about the blasting and whether it would interfere with holiday travel plans.
One blasting session on I-15 will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. And that means motorists heading south to California are in for quite a wait because the southbound lanes will be closed the entire four hours.
Northbound motorists are expected to experience delays of 15 minutes because of the blasting.
California Department of Transportation workers are blasting in association with the ongoing freeway widening project south of the border.
The blasting also will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 17 and every Wednesday starting Jan. 7 through late April.
During the closures, I-15 southbound traffic will be diverted to the Primm Valley properties for fuel, food and other services.
The best advice is to avoid traveling southbound on I-15 during those times.
But please note that no blasting will take place during the Christmas or New Year’s holiday weeks, so any plans to visit California won’t be interrupted by exploding dynamite.
Visit www.caltrans8.info or call (866) 383-4631 to learn more about the closures.
A reader asks: What is all that construction on Lone Mountain Road, near Allen Drive? Lone Mountain is completely shut down there. When will it be done?
The work being done is part of the Gowan drainage channel project, said Robert Rixford, senior engineer for the North Las Vegas public works department.
Rixford said the work is expected to be completed in mid-January, which is when that section of Lone Mountain is expected to be reopened.
After that is done, motorists will see some more work being done at the intersection as a traffic signal is installed, Rixford said.
Jonathan Rickert writes: I understand Citizen Area Transit bus service is going cut service to Meadows mall. That means all people who work there or want to shop there are going to have to walk to get to the mall. First they want to raise the rates over two years and now they are cutting service.
To be fair, the Regional Transportation Commission is really just making some changes to Meadows mall bus routes come Jan. 11, not necessarily cutting service.
Those changes do mean a lot more walking for some public transit users.
This includes changes to routes 104 and 402, which will no longer stop in front of Sears at the Meadows mall.
Instead, both routes will have new stops added on Valley View Boulevard adjacent to the mall.
Route 207 will continue to have a stop near Dillards at the mall.
Tracy Bower, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Commission, said the elimination of stops at Meadows mall was made to save time on the two bus routes and also for passengers who are not accessing the mall.
Bower added that bus service in other parts of the valley do not enter malls, including the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson.
I also found the same is true for the Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway.
Visit www.rtcsouthern nevada.com to learn more about other route changes being made in the new year.
If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Francis McCabe at (702) 387-2904, or send an e-mail to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.
The Nevada Department of Transportation announced the following updates on the ongoing $240 million Interstate 15 north widening project: • Bonanza Road under I-15 will be closed to traffic through 5 a.m. Sunday for girder placement. • Bonanza Road under I-15 will be reduced to one lane with various lane shifts from Monday to Dec. 23 for bridge work. • The Washington Avenue onramp to I-15 northbound will be closed through February. Motorists should use Las Vegas Boulevard northbound to Cheyenne Avenue, Craig Road or Lamb Boulevard to access I-15 northbound. • Workers will be installing an overhead vehicle warning system at D Street and I-15 through March. Trucks over the height of 14 feet, 8 inches will not be able to pass under I-15 there. • Traffic on I-15 will be switched to the northbound lanes with two lanes of travel in each direction between Cheyenne Avenue and Lake Mead Boulevard beginning Monday. • D Street will be closed to traffic under I-15, from 9 p.m. Dec. 22 to 5 a.m. Dec. 23 for a deck pour. Motorists should watch for lane shifts and posted detours and use extreme caution in work zones. A road improvement project on Jones Boulevard, between Elkhorn Road and Horse Drive, on Grand Teton Drive, between Maverick Street and Decatur Boulevard, and on Farm Road, between Maverick and Leon Avenue, has begun and will continue through the next 12 months. The $15.6 million project includes widening roadways, constructing sidewalks, curbs, gutters, sanitary sewer and making storm drainage improvements. Traffic improvements include signing, striping and traffic signals. Most work will take place Monday through Friday during the daytime although some night work is necessary. Rainbow Boulevard and Decatur are alternate routes for north-south travel and Ann Road is an alternate route for east-west travel. LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
