No Adjustments Necessary

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This week readers want to know whether there are any plans to redo the roads outside the Eastside Cannery now that there’s all that traffic out there, are there any plans to widen Grand Canyon Drive, and when will the construction on the bridges on the Las Vegas Beltway, near south Decatur Boulevard, be finished? And the Road Warrior answers a bonus fourth question about the state of the Beltway at Far Hills Avenue.

A caller asks: Are there any plans to widen Boulder Highway near Tropicana Avenue? The area is flooded with traffic because of the Eastside Cannery opening. It’s hard to make turns.

I spoke with a couple of folks in the transportation community and for now there probably won’t be any changes to the roads out there.

The caller was very concerned about the influx of traffic, but chances are that will die down after a couple of weeks of no one hitting the Megabucks slot machine.

Bob McKenzie, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation which oversees Boulder Highway down there, said there were no plans in the immediate future. “It’s a four lane highway in good condition,” he said.

McKenzie said construction will eventually take place as part of the ACE bus route that will motor down the center of the highway. He said that project isn’t scheduled to begin for a couple of years.

A reader asks: Grand Canyon, between Flamingo and Russell roads, is wide enough to have two lanes in both directions, but this has not been done. What’s up with this?

Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the Clark County public works department, said there are no plans to widen that patch of road.

Shelton explained that the size of the road has more to do with the lack of private or public development in the area. “However, as development continues to take place, improvements are always a possibility for this area,” Shelton said.

I suppose that means that when more residents and businesses move in, you’ll get a wider road.

April Shannon asks: Do you know when the construction work on the Beltway bridge in the area of South Decatur will be complete and open with three lanes? It is such a bottleneck there to travel at rush hour going east to get to Interstate 15 south.

The good news is that the widening of the bridges is on schedule, Shelton told me. Of course “on schedule” means you’ll still have to endure a few more months of gridlock as the project isn’t going to be finished until the end of January.

Shelton did say that the construction managers are looking to do some of the restriping before January, but rushing the job could mean a safety risk to the workers.

I still recommend using Russell Road as an east-west alternative to the Beltway in that area.

Also, if you use that part of the Beltway there are some upcoming closures you should be aware of (check the Road Work Ahead box).

H.E. Doyle writes: Can we drive west on Far Hills and/or Summerlin Parkway then cross over the Beltway to the southbound ramp? And are the eastbound exits from the Beltway to these two streets open?

Motorists cannot get on or off or cross over the Beltway at Far Hills. Motorists can still access the Beltway from the Summerlin Parkway, but eventually that will change as the county public works department moves forward with building a new interchange there.

The project, which will also see a new interchange at Far Hills, is expected to be completed in 15 months.

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.