NDOT plans for motorists to ‘zipper merge’ into next phase of Project Neon

For the first time, NDOT will officially endorse “zipper merging” next month as a way to keep traffic moving when U.S. Highway 95 is narrowed to two lanes in each direction between Rancho Drive and the Spaghetti Bowl interchange in downtown Las Vegas.

The practice encourages drivers to use both lanes up to the point where they converge, alternating turns in what appears to be a zipper motion.

Drivers will have plenty of time to get used to this method of merging. U.S. 95 will be reduced to two lanes each way through December as part of Project Neon, a $1 billion effort to redesign and add traffic lanes from the Spaghetti Bowl interchange to Sahara Avenue.

“We see vehicles cut one another off far too often when there’s a merge, usually getting angry stares and glares from drivers,” NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.

“If we can encourage people to take turns with zipper merging, it will be a smoother trip for everyone,” Illia said. “It will save time and be safer, too.”

The aim is to keep drivers from slowing down and merging too early, which leaves a long strip of unused pavement. That method, Illia said, is generally considered to be an inefficient way to deal with traffic.

Instead, NDOT wants drivers to use all the available space on the road for as long as possible.

Other states have used zipper merging “with great success” in road construction zones, resulting in shorter lines and reduced delays, Illia said.

“We’re talking about changing behaviors with a different type of driving practice,” Illia said. “A lot of it is intuitive, but it will make traffic move smoother and faster for everyone.”

NDOT officials will launch a campaign to encourage zipper merging while toning down the potential for road rage. While a decision hasn’t been made, a couple of the pithy catchphrases under consideration include “Don’t trip, just zip,” or “don’t flip, just zip.”

CLOGGED RAMP

Albert from Las Vegas said he encounters traffic jams during the evening commute when driving from northbound Interstate 15 to the westbound 215 Beltway, and he wanted to know whether the on-ramp will be widened.

NDOT doesn’t have any immediate plans to improve this freeway interchange, Illia said.

However, construction is expected to start later this year on a new interchange at I-15 and Starr Avenue that’s expected to help improve traffic flows at the southern end of the valley, Illia said. The new interchange, about a mile south of the Cactus Avenue exit, will be completed by late 2018.

ROUGH ON RAMPART

Most of the streets through the Summerlin community are maintained pretty well, but Lester from Las Vegas pointed out a rough patch along Rampart Boulevard, between Lake Mead Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue.

“Rampart is just about worn down to the subsurface in both directions,” Lester wrote in an email to the Road Warrior. “I think it is in severe need of repair.”

This section of Rampart is heavily traveled and is considered to be in “excellent condition” after nearly 30 years, Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said.

However, Kurtz acknowledged that the pavement has “some isolated routine age and load-related stress conditions.”

The inside northbound lane has some signs of emerging base failure, which slows rutting and cracking on the pavement, Kurtz said.

“So far, the damage is limited and is not a significant impact to ride quality or pavement function,” Kurtz said.

Rebuilding the road, Kurtz said, is too costly an option just to address some “early stage, isolated areas of failure. Instead, the city will spend the next few months planning an intermediate repair plan.

MARYLAND MAKEOVER

Toni from Henderson wanted to know whether the city plans to extend southbound Maryland Parkway to Volunteer Boulevard to make it easier to get in and out of the Sun City Anthem area.

Indeed, Toni, an extension is planned — but it’s going to take some time.

Construction companies are expected to bid on the project later this year, but construction probably won’t start until 2018, Henderson spokeswoman Kim Becker said.

Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow @RJroadwarrior on Twitter.