Time to take down those political campaign signs across Las Vegas Valley
November 21, 2016 - 7:12 am
No one likes that neighbor who leaves up Christmas lights well into springtime.
It’s the same feeling a lot of people get after Election Day while driving past those tired-looking political campaign signs: The party is over, so it’s time to take down the decorations.
Thankfully, there are some mandated deadlines to remove these weathered placards posted along our local roads.
The first target date already passed Friday in Henderson, where city officials have a strict policy to remove campaign signs within 10 days after Election Day. Unclaimed signs are removed by the city and trashed, city spokesman Keith Paul said.
A little more time is allowed in other parts of Clark County and in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, where the deadline to remove signs along roadways arrives Wednesday — 15 days after the election.
Scofflaws who ignore written warnings in Las Vegas could be charged for the city’s time to remove the signs, city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said. In North Las Vegas, candidates could be fined up to $1,000 for sign removal and storage fees, city spokeswoman Delen Goldberg said.
The Nevada Department of Transportation provides a generous deadline of Dec. 8 to remove campaign signs from state-operated roadways.
There’s no fine or charge if NDOT crews have to take down signs, which are kept for up to 30 days just in case a candidate wants to reuse them for a future election, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said. Unclaimed signs eventually will be destroyed.
NDOT typically removes up to 5,000 signs left along state right-of-way areas following an election, Illia said.
Thankfully, losers and winners of the Nov. 8 election have done a pretty good job at removing their signs across the Las Vegas Valley.
Not to pick on anyone in particular, but the Road Warrior and his editor spotted a few stragglers late last week.
A giant, two-sided sign mounted on sturdy boards for Anat Levy’s failed run for district court judge was faded, but still visible Friday morning along Decatur Boulevard on the southwest part of town.
At Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Gilespie Street, a sign for Republican Carrie Buck’s failed run for state Senate District 5 hung on a fence alongside a sign for Deanna Wright’s successful campaign for a Clark County School Board seat.
Along Rancho Drive between Vegas Drive and North Las Vegas Airport, we saw signs for the unsuccessful Congressional bids of Steve Brown and Reuben D’Silva, along with those for winning Justice of the Peace candidates Rebecca Kern and Suzan Baucum.
With the holidays drawing near, feel free to deck the halls. But don’t make me call you out for leaving up those Christmas lights until Easter.
BUMPY ROAD IN NLV
Allen from North Las Vegas wants to know whether Lone Mountain Road will be upgraded between Valley Drive and Camino al Norte. Like several local roads, drivers see a stretch of four lanes that narrow down to two in several sections. Plus, the street is “bumpy and uneven in several areas.”
Good news Allen: North Las Vegas workers are in the early stages of sketching out some improvements for Long Mountain Road, city spokeswoman Delen Goldberg said.
It’s unclear when work will begin, but the project will be funded by revenue generated from fuel revenue indexing tax for Clark County.
DURANGO WIDENING
Construction started about two years ago to widen Durango Drive between Pebble and Blue Diamond roads in the southwest part of Las Vegas.
“There are orange cones here and there, with bits of work being done every once in awhile,” Thelma from Las Vegas wrote in an email to the Road Warrior.
“Is there any chance you can find out when this job will be completed?”
Bring your patience, Thelma. It looks like the road work won’t wrap up for another year, Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.
That’s because a project by Clark County Water Reclamation District is being completed along with the street widening project, Kulin said.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior
ROAD WORK AHEAD
■ Wigwam Avenue will be closed at Gilespie Street until Nov. 30. Crews are installing water pipes.
■ Fairfield Avenue from Robindale Avenue to Moberly Avenue will be closed Nov. 15 through at least Dec. 31. Crews are completing sewer work.
■ Frank Sinatra Drive near the Mandalay Bay Parking Garage will be closed during overnight hours through Dec. 23 and again Jan. 3 through Feb. 22. Crews are working on hotel’s pylon sign.
■ Main Street is restricted between Bonneville Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard until Dec. 1 for street improvements.
■ The Martin Luther King Boulevard onramp to northbound U.S. Highway 95 will is closed through November. Crews are erecting retaining walls around the Spaghetti Bowl interchange as part of Project Neon.
■ The Interstate 15 northbound and southbound ramps connecting to northbound U.S. Highway 95 will be closed until late February. Crews are building a new bridge as part of Project Neon.
■ The Interstate 15 northbound and southbound ramps connecting to Martin Luther King Boulevard will be closed until late February. Crews are building a new bridge as part of Project Neon.
■ The ramp leading from westbound Warm Springs Road to the westbound 215 Beltway will be closed from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays through Fridays until mid-March. Crews are working on the new flyover ramp and bridge.
■ Traffic will be redirected and reduced to one lane in each direction of U.S. Highway 95 for about a mile in Boulder City through March. Crews are building a bridge over the highway for the future Interstate 11 corridor.
■ Valley Drive is being widened between Tropical Parkway and Cheyenne Avenue in North Las Vegas, with completion expected in March.
■ Northbound U.S. Highway 95 will be reduced to one lane between Craig Road and the Beltway from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays through June. Crews are working on the Centennial Bowl ramps.
■ Southbound U.S. Highway 95 will be reduced to one lane between Durango Drive and Ann Road from 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays through June. Crews are working on the Centennial Bowl ramps.
■ Sections of Bonneville Avenue, Charleston Boulevard, Grand Central Parkway and Martin Luther King Boulevard will have closed or disrupted lanes surrounding the Spaghetti Bowl as crews work on Project Neon through July 2018.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.45 per gallon. It was $2.48 in Nevada. The national average of $2.15 is down 2 cents from a week ago, down 8 cents from a month ago and up 3 cents from a year ago.