Good news, bad news about I-15 bridge

There is plenty of interest in this one, so though we’ve written extensively about the problems, it is certainly worth an update for those poor souls who live in the southwest Las Vegas Valley. I’ve received plenty of questions about this project, but the best came from Jack, whose email went straight to the point.

Subject line: Warm Springs Bridge

Content: What happened to it?

We won’t rehash the entire nightmare that has dogged Las Vegas Paving, but essentially the design didn’t work for the span, and unfortunately that became clear after the old bridge over Interstate 15 was torn down.

Corey Newcome, a project manager with Las Vegas Paving, said the new steel girders are expected to arrive the week of March 15. The bridge is expected to open with one lane in each direction by the end of May.

So, you say, I thought this was supposed to be a six-lane bridge. This is true. Nevada Power has to move some transmission poles before Warm Springs is completed. The power company has run into some problems acquiring land from private owners, and the cases are making their way through the court system.

The good news is at least there will be some east-west movement across the freeway on Warm Springs. The not-so-good news is we don’t really know when the full six-lane road will open.

You like updates? So does Michael: Do you have any updates on completion for the widening project on Blue Diamond Road and Durango Drive? It seems like they have ripped up the road and made it bumpy to drive on and aren’t in any hurry to fix it.

The Nevada Department of Transportation ran into some problems with the widening project on Blue Diamond Road.

Once they milled the asphalt, they discovered that the asphalt below was far more dry and deteriorated than initially thought. The cost to fix it required materials that were more expensive, so the transportation division had to find additional funding.

The cones and barrels were left up, Michael, because the transportation agency did not expect the delay to be as long as it was. Work has now resumed and will continue for the next three weeks. When nighttime temperatures warm up, the final layer of asphalt will be applied.

And speaking of Blue Diamond work, Carmen has this: Why are they not allowing a left turn onto Quarterhorse Lane? There was a left turn from Blue Diamond onto Quarterhorse before they started working on the road. There is no way to get on Quarterhorse but to go west on Blue Diamond to Fort Apache and then make a U-turn. What are these people doing to this neighborhood?

Uh oh. First the Transportation Department took away the eastbound Blue Diamond exit from Interstate 15, now they’re messing with residents farther west. I suppose this will answer one skeptic’s question about whether all the traffic engineers live on the west side of town.

No, Carmen, the access to Quarterhorse from westbound Blue Diamond is gone, probably forever. The explanation from the Department of Transportation is this: Residents who turned onto Quarterhorse have other options a quarter mile away in El Capitan or Fort Apache.

Because the speed limit on Blue Diamond Road will be 55 mph, installing a median was a must for obvious safety reasons. Engineers opted not to put a break in the median at Quarterhorse because they would have to reduce the speed limit to ensure motorists could make it across safely.

Cheryl asks: I live in Traccia at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Red Rock Ranch. Making a left out of my community is a nightmare because the traffic heading west on Sahara doesn’t obey the speed limit coming around the corner. Every day my heart palpitates and I hold my breath as I try to get across three lanes before another car appears. A light or roundabout would be ideal, but even a flashing light alerting drivers to a hidden driveway and the posted speed limit would be useful.

For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Cheryl is referring to Sahara just west of Interstate 215, or the Las Vegas Beltway, where the road turns into Desert Foothills Drive. If you are trying to turn east onto Sahara from the north side or west from the south, it can be treacherous because there is no signal to control the traffic.

That will all change this fall. Clark County public works officials agreed with Cheryl’s assessment and will put the signal out to bid early this summer. The signals will be installed soon thereafter.

Timothy likes to go round and round: I’m not sure if you’ve written about these before, but I would like to know why there aren’t more roundabouts in use in the valley. Summerlin is the only area that I’m aware where they are in use. I’m concerned about the proliferation of traffic lights at every single intersection. Will we see more roundabouts in the future throughout the valley?

Actually, the city of Henderson recently installed three roundabouts on Serene Avenue between Eastern Avenue and St. Rose Parkway. The city of Mesquite is building roundabouts off the ramps on Interstate 15 at Falcon Ridge Parkway. So, yes, there is a movement toward this type of intersection design.

Timothy is right. There are plenty of pros to roundabouts. The cost to operate and maintain the intersections are less than for traffic signals, and emissions are lower because there are no lines of idling vehicles.

Also, studies show they are much safer. A traditional signalized intersection has 32 points of conflict, meaning points where cars can run into each other. A roundabout has eight.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@
reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.