Orange cones in road construction zones mean drivers should slow down
Since starting this gig last month, Road Warrior has heard too many readers and co-workers cracking jokes that Nevada’s state flower is the orange traffic cone.
Given the numerous roadway projects under construction in the Las Vegas Valley, that might be a lot more appropriate than the sagebrush.
Street and highway improvements are springing up across the region, ranging from minor asphalt repairs to new freeway bridges on the 215 Beltway and the massive $1 billion reconfiguration of the Spaghetti Bowl, known as Project Neon.
So, it bears repeating: Drivers must slow down when they see orange cones in these construction zones. Yes, for all of them. Be patient.
Paul from North Las Vegas said he’s spotted signs on the Beltway near North Decatur Boulevard, warning that fines could be doubled for motorists who speed through construction zones. He wanted to know whether those increased penalties would apply when workers aren’t around.
Yes, Paul, you can get slapped with a double penalty citation even if you think there isn’t any work going on, trooper Jason Buratczuk of the Nevada Highway Patrol said.
Technically, construction zones are active when workers are present, and also when traffic patterns are restricted or shifted. Buratczuk warned that the reduced speed limits are always in effect until the project is completed and the area is reopened to free-flowing traffic.
Drivers could face fines up to $1,000 for speeding in a road construction or maintenance zone, according to the Nevada Transportation Department.
SCHOOL ZONES
School’s out for the summer, but Coleen from Las Vegas wants to know why a set of yellow lights is still flashing at Anasazi and Oxford Cross drives to warn drivers about children who might be walking in the neighborhood.
“My issue is that it flashes all day, every school day … and you have to slow down,” Coleen wrote in an email. “I hardly think this is fair, and the lights should only flash and be obeyed during times children might be heading to or from school.”
Unfortunately, Coleen, the yellow warning lights can’t be adjusted. The flasher’s operation is required by state law, aimed at protecting students who attend Bonner Elementary School and Rogich Middle School, Las Vegas spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said.
Therefore, you’ll have to find an alternate route or keep slowing down when the yellow lights are programmed to flash intermittently, from 7:10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
“These times are not arbitrary by the school district or the city of Las Vegas,” Kurtz said.
AIRPORT ALERT
Drivers should expect delays getting to and from McCarran International Airport for the next few weeks, as construction crews work intermittently on the ramps linking the eastbound 215 Beltway and the Airport Connector.
Traffic headed east on the Beltway won’t be able to exit Sunset Road from midnight to 5 a.m. June 27 and 28 and July 1 and 8, Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Drivers might want to take Russell Road or Tropicana Avenue at the airport’s north end as an alternate route. Traffic on the westbound Beltway won’t be affected.
The closures are part of a larger $52.5 million project that calls for building a flyover ramp and bridge connecting the southbound Airport Connector to the eastbound Beltway and widening the offramp from the eastbound Beltway to Warm Springs Road, Kulin said.
Construction is expected to finish by fall 2017. The project also calls for building a bridge at the Warm Springs off-ramp and widening a bridge for traffic using the westbound Beltway over the Airport Connector.
CUTE COYOTES
Has anyone else noticed the adorable coyotes that appear to be howling from the median along West Ann Road, just east of Bradley Road? Barb, who lives near the Los Prados Golf and Country Club, did. She wanted to know where she could buy one of the metallic street ornaments — or perhaps have one made.
Just like the real thing, you can’t take these coyotes home, Barb. The roadside figures were crafted by staffers working for Las Vegas, and they’re are not available for sale or custom orders, Kurtz said.
However, Kurtz said that the city workers enjoy hearing that residents admire and appreciate the public artwork.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Find @RJroadwarrior on Twitter.
Road work ahead
■ The fast lane of Summerlin Parkway between Town Center Drive and the 215 Beltway will be closed from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through July 15. Crews are installing median barriers.
■ The westbound right lane of Sunset Road will be restricted at Grand Canyon Drive from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday as Clark County Water Reclamation District crews work on sewer pipes.
■ The southbound right lane of Fort Apache Road will be resreicted at Post Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday as Water Reclamation District crews work on sewer pipes.
■ The outside lane of the northbound Interstate 15 interchange to the westbound 215 Beltway, south of the Strip, will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays until June 29. The Nevada Transportation Department is making road and barrier rail repairs.
■ Valley Drive is being widened between Tropical Parkway and Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas, with completion expected in March.
■ Alta Drive will be disrupted as crews pave the road between Meadow Canyon and Hualapai lanes until Friday.
■ Campbell Road will have restrictions at Garehime Elementary School as crews complete crosswalk upgrades through July 6.
■ Traffic on Lexington Street will be affected by a storm drain, street, sidewalk and ramp improvement project between Lake Mead Boulevard and Blankenship Avenue through April. Work will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
■ Lanes will be reduced at all hours on northbound U.S. Highway 95 through Wednesday between Eastern Avenue and the Spaghetti Bowl for concrete patch repairs on bridges. The Las Vegas Boulevard onramp to U.S. 95 will be closed at the same time.
■ Lanes of Wyoming Avenue will be disrupted for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements west of Industrial Road through Thursday.
■ Lanes of Durango Drive will be disrupted for a gas line replacement between Desert Inn Road and Vegas Drive through Thursday.
■ First Street will be closed between Boulder and Coolidge avenues from 8 a.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday for the First Friday festival in the Arts District.
■ Casino Center Drive will be closed between Carson and Ogden avenues from 7 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday for the First Friday event at the Fremont Street Experience.
■ Tropicana Avenue will have restricted lanes at Las Vegas Boulevard from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays through Dec. 23. The Nevada Transportation Department is making improvements to the four pedestrian bridges.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.49 per gallon. It was $2.54 in Nevada. The national average of $2.31 is down 4 cents from a week ago, up 2 cents from a month ago and down 47 cents from a year ago.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
