Never-ending construction

A number of readers have asked: When is the nightmare on Martin Luther King Boulevard going to end?

I don’t know of a worse traffic situation in the valley right now than the one on Martin Luther King Boulevard, from Alta Drive north to Carey Avenue.

Maybe it’s because I drive it every day or maybe because it really is the worst traffic situation in the valley.

What has happened here for the past few weeks is a perfect storm of sorts.

It started with two widening projects that probably should not have happened at the same time: the Interstate 15 north widening project and the widening of Martin Luther King.

The I-15 north project has forced some motorists off the interstate and onto surface streets, specifically Martin Luther King.

Add to that, on April 10 Bonanza Road and H Street, at Bonanza, were closed to traffic for the I-15 north widening project.

This forced savvy drivers who learned to avoid Martin Luther King by taking back roads as well as other east/west motorists onto … you guessed it, Martin Luther King.

The intersection of Martin Luther King and Bonanza is a giant rumble strip made of pot holes and dug up asphalt. The lane stripes have been painted and moved so many times, it’s practically impossible to tell where the lanes are.

Motorists confused by the constant lane changes are often confronted by other confused motorists driving into oncoming traffic.

Meanwhile, this section of the Martin Luther King widening project, from Alta north to Bonanza, is way behind schedule. By my estimations at least two months behind.

City officials said when the project started that this section was supposed to be done by February.

There probably are plenty of excuses that can be attributed to this — bad weather, having to dig up the ground to install utility lines, moving a Bank of America across the street and so on — but frankly, I doubt any of the thousands of drivers who travel on Martin Luther King daily give a damn.

They just want to know when it will be over.

Well, I sort of have good news.

Las Vegas spokeswoman Debby Ackerman told me paving on Martin Luther King is actually supposed to begin next week.

However, during the paving the onramp to I-15 south at Martin Luther King will be closed, which will be a giant headache for some folks.

The paving is supposed to begin at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and last for seven days. The paving on Martin Luther King is supposed to go south from Bonanza Road to just south of the Costco building.

The paving is supposed to coincide with the reopening of Bonanza Road at I-15, which could be used to gain access to I-15 south at Casino Center Boulevard.

Of course, there is still a lot more work to be done on the $36 million Martin Luther King project that stretches north to Carey.

The whole project was supposed to be finished by late 2009, but I wouldn’t bet on it at this point.

Bryan H. asks: Why is there only one lane open on Las Vegas Boulevard, near Harmon Avenue, at night?

Workers are constructing a pedestrian bridge to cross Las Vegas Boulevard at the CityCenter project, so when the buildings are opened in December (it’s still going to open, right?) people can get across the Strip with relative ease.

As a result of the construction, traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard, between Harmon Avenue and Paris Drive, is reduced to one lane in each direction from midnight to 10 a.m. through Thursday.

Koval Lane and Frank Sinatra Drive are the closest alternative routes during those hours.

HIT N’ RUN

In this past Sunday’s column, I wrote about some future technologies being introduced in the auto industry. I was disappointed because none of the technology included cars that fly.

But I found out, thanks to reader Mike, that such an invention isn’t so far out.

Check out the Terrafugia’s Transition Roadable Aircraft at www.terrafugia.com.

Actually, the company describes the craft as more of a plane that can be driven than a flying car. It’s powered by an aircraft engine and, once on the ground, the wings fold up so as not to pose a hazard.

First customer delivery is anticipated to be in 2011.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe @reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.