U.S. 95 construction gives drivers stuck behind trucks, RVs false hope
Wherever motorists drive in Southern Nevada, they encounter construction somewhere. Unfortunately, as the readers below will learn, it is not always where we would like to see the road work being done.
Jean strives for a less stressful drive: We drive between Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe several times a year. Long ago, traffic on Highway 95 was light, but commerce between Northern and Southern Nevada has steadily increased, especially commercial trucking. Frequently we encounter “road boulders” on this 70 mph highway — semis going a steady 62 and RVs going 55 mph. Recently, we noticed road work on the north and south sides of Goldfield on 95, which appears to be adding “slow vehicle or truck lanes.” Hallelujah! Are there plans for adding additional passing lanes to this two-lane highway?
Well, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation, there are no plans to add additional lanes on that route. The truck lanes were recently installed, but the traffic counts on the two-lane highway do not merit passing lanes, according to the agency.
Wayne sees no workers: Can you please find out what is happening on El Capitan Street? El Capitan is off of Durango Drive in Centennial Hills. You would think Durango would be the one with the most cars, but 80 percent of the northbound traffic takes El Capitan, and only a few cars take Durango. The flood control district has had a project there for over a year, and all construction on El Capitan stopped over eight weeks ago. All the digging was completed, and the hole in the ground was filled over eight weeks ago. But the northbound lanes on El Capitan are closed off by cones, and traffic near Racel is two way on the south bound lanes. I am not sure how many accidents have been caused by this arrangement, but certainly the road should have been returned to normal many weeks ago.
This is part of the Floyd Lamb Park enhancement project that also addresses flood water drainage in the northwest valley. Wayne is a victim of this work — or more accurately lack of work — because it generally runs along Lone Mountain Road between Decatur Boulevard and Rancho Drive, and on Racel between Durango and El Capitan.
A few weeks ago, the city of Las Vegas told us that the contractor, Spirit Underground LLC, was involved in both the drainage project and the repaving work along Racel.
Midway through the work, the company ran into financial troubles and filed for bankruptcy.
The city has been working to resolve the problem through the bonding company. We were told Perini Construction will take over the work. Residents in that area should now see workers back out there.
Steve would mind the gap: I have a follow-up question regarding the coming project on the Las Vegas Beltway, between Tenaya Way and Decatur Boulevard. Once completed, it appears that there will be a one-mile stretch of roadway that will be incomplete between Decatur and the existing Aviary Way flyover bridge. Considering the short distance between the completed approach for each, that distance might even be shorter. Are there any plans to complete this short stretch of Beltway, joining the two completed stretches of Beltway, in conjunction with the upcoming contract?
Yes, Steve, according to Clark County planners, this little one-mile stretch will be part of the overall repaving and widening project. This is the project that was stalled by legal battles that were recently settled.
The 215, aka the Beltway, will be widened to three lanes in both directions, and new interchanges will be built at Decatur and Jones boulevards. Aviary Way will remain a flyover, but the freeway will be fully expanded to that point, connecting the two already improved stretches of the highway. The work is set to start Nov. 1, and the entire project will take 30 months.
Sandy wants to see an expanded Sunset: In a recent column, you were discussing Sunset Road and the Warm Springs bridge. I would like to know if Sunset Road, now that it has a bridge over I-15, will ever go as far west as Decatur? Are there any plans for extending Sunset that way?
Yes, Sandy, that is the plan. Clark County has been negotiating with Union Pacific Railroad to bring Sunset across its property and link it to Decatur from Interstate 15.
This will be the first leg of the project that will get under way as soon as next year. Ultimately, Sunset is expected to be extended as far west as Fort Apache Road. That will depend on future development and the availability of funding.
Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.
• Beginning next Wednesday and lasting two weeks, the Interstate 15 north ramp to Frank Sinatra Drive will be closed between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. for utility work. Traffic will be detoured to Russell Road and looped back around to Frank Sinatra.• Through Oct. 28, expect lane restrictions on Cheyenne Avenue between Rampart Boulevard and Hualapai Way. Inside lanes in both directions will be closed from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for median improvements.
• Starting tonight and for the next two weeks, expect delays just north of the airport connector tunnel as work is done on a new bridge that will connect to Terminal 3, which will open next summer. Construction hours are 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
• For the next two months, expect lane restrictions on Torrey Pines Drive between U.S. Highway 95 and Cheyenne Avenue as Torrey Pines is resurfaced.
• For the next five weeks, lane restrictions will be in effect 24 hours a day on Rainbow Boulevard. It will be reduced to one lane between Gowan Road and Red Coach Avenue while crews repave the street. Alternate routes include Tenaya Way and Rancho Drive.
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