Potholes, paving and repaving

This week, a reader wants to know what recourse she has if her car is damaged by a road hazard, an Arizona resident wonders why it is taking so long to improve the stretch between state Route 163 and Railroad Pass; and a man wants to know when the heck Eastern Avenue will be repaved.

Sonia Cook asks: My husband recently had major damage on his Corvette because of a pothole on Martin Luther King. Our insurance covered it minus the deductible and tread on tires, which will still be about $1,000 on our end. Do you know if there is a way to take out a claim on the city for that?

I can relate. I smacked into uneven payment on Main Street and had to fork out $250 for a new tire. To borrow from our esteemed mayor, Sonia, we both probably wanted to whack the person responsible.

But there is hope for you, if slim. The city can be held liable for road hazards such as potholes if it is aware of the problem and doesn’t fix it, according to Bob Feldman, secretary-treasurer for the Nevada Insurance Council.

There are hurdles: One, you will have the difficult task of proving that the city knew about the problem and, two, it might be a struggle to find an attorney who will take a case in which the settlement will only be a few hundred bucks.

"Even though we have 65 jillion attorneys in this town, it will be hard to find an attorney to take a case like that when they’re not going to make money, unless it’s a friend or relative," Feldman said. "Unless it happens to an attorney and they’re ticked off, they’re probably not going to do anything."

Feldman anticipates that hazards such as potholes and uneven pavement may persist because of government cutbacks.

"Things will not be getting fixed promptly because of the lack of crews," he said.

Jeanne Armstrong’s question: Bypass between Searchlight and Laughlin. Why is it taking so long to complete this roadway? It has been under construction way tooo long!

Jeanne, meet Bob McKenzie, who respectfully disagrees with you. McKenzie, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said crews are on time to finish the $50 million project by late September. Helping to expedite the project, which was started a year ago, crews worked marathon shifts last month.

The stretch might have been a headache to commuters, having only one lane open in each direction during some phases of construction. And a tanker accident that completely closed the road last month certainly didn’t help aggravated drivers.

But whether you agree with Jeanne or Bob, here’s the good news: When the stretch between Route 163 and Searchlight is completed, it will provide a safer four-lane highway.

"This will make an effective stretch of highway to help the people who commute from Las Vegas to Laughlin and vice-versa," McKenzie said.

Rob Heaton asks: Is there any chance that Eastern will get repaved from the 215 interchange to let’s say Wigwam? I am tired of driving on a cheese-grating road. It feels like my wheels are going to fall off sometimes.

Not to worry Rob. You’re cheese-grating roadway should soon feel like buttah if everything goes smoothly with the bidding process. Soon, meaning next year. According to Clark County public information officer Jennifer Knight, the repaving project should go out to bid in November. Work on the roadway will then begin in spring 2010 and it should take about 60 days to complete.

The county’s repaving project on Eastern between the Las Vegas Beltway and Chandler Drive is expected to cost about $728,000.

Dr. Lee Bernstein expressed concerns about the U.S. 95 offramp at Decatur Boulevard and Valley View Drive and suggested it poses a danger to drivers.

McKenzie said these types of ramps are called collector/distributor roads and they are not uncommon. Motorists should have plenty of time to merge into the desired lane to exit onto Decatur or Valley View.

"We ask people to pay attention to traffic controls we have up there," McKenzie said. "It’s as safe as a driver will allow it to be."

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at (702) 387-2904, or send an e-mail to roadwarrior @reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.