Drivers heading downtown might find Life is Beautiful with alternative route

Commuters are already learning that life isn’t beautiful with the gradual closure of downtown streets to make way for a massive music festival this weekend.

And it’s about to get even worse.

The ramp connecting U.S. Highway 95 to southbound Interstate 15 will be temporarily closed for 36 hours starting at 10 p.m. Friday — just as revelers start leaving the first day of the Life is Beautiful street fair.

Crews will knock down a section of the 180-foot-long, 17-foot-tall flyover ramp over Symphony Park Way, making it the first bridge to be demolished for the $1 billion widening of the Spaghetti Bowl interchange known as Project Neon, said Tony Illia, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Construction is expected to begin later this month for a new ramp that’s scheduled to open by late January.Starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, drivers will be rerouted onto a temporary patch sitting atop a new dirt berm that will connect the two heavily used freeways.

NDOT officials say about 3,141 vehicles use the ramp during its weekend peak at 1 p.m. Saturdays, creating conditions that could make for a perfect storm of traffic jams this weekend.

The temporary closure of Nevada’s busiest freeway ramp will collide with the fourth annual Life is Beautiful festival, where roughly 100,000 revelers are expected to hit the streets for three consecutive days of concerts, comedy acts, food and art.

Downtown streets started shutting down in phases last Wednesday, continuing until 18 city blocks will be closed within an area bounded by Mesquite and Bridger avenues and Sixth and 11th streets, Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said.

A series of stages are being built along the closed roads to prepare for performances by Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Jane’s Addiction, J. Cole, G-Eazy and others. All the streets will be reopened in phases over the course of a week after the festival as organizers tear down the stages and booths.

And of course, Las Vegas Boulevard will be closed between Ogden and Carson avenues as the festival winds up between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

For those who insist on braving the onslaught of people and traffic, Illia suggested motorists to exit at U.S. Highway 95 and Las Vegas Boulevard, heading south to the festival’s entrance at Fremont and Seventh streets.

Festival organizers are also selling three-day shuttle passes for $45, with pick-up offered every 30 minutes from 1:30 to 8 p.m. at the Treasure Island hotel-casino and UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. Shuttles will leave the festival every 30 minutes until 2 a.m. Information: lifeisbeautiful.com.

A cheaper alternative is taking any regularly scheduled public bus into downtown, said Sue Christiansen, the RTC’s manager of government affairs, media relations and marketing. Downtown routes 207 and BHX will be detoured around the festival.

“Any route in the downtown area can get attendees close to the festival,” Christiansen said. “But the Deuce (on The Strip) drops them off closest to the location.”

ROUNDABOUT EXPLANATION

A central island known as a roundabout has sprung up at Sahara Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in the far east end of Las Vegas. Roger from Las Vegas wanted to know why it’s being built, and whether the structure will be permanent.

Given the intersection’s proximity to Las Vegas High School and Hollywood Regional Park, Clark County officials believed that a temporary roundabout would be the best way to stop vehicles from speeding through the neighborhood.

For years, residents have complained about illegal car races along Hollywood, county spokesman Dan Kulin said. The speed limit was reduced in that area, but the racing continued.

A county study determined that a roundabout would do a better job at slowing vehicles than a traffic signal, Kulin said. Neighbors had originally raised concerns about the roundabout during a town hall meeting, but Kulin said that it will help reduce speeds and accidents while improving efficiency on the street.

County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani — who represents the area — and county Public Works officials have visited the roundabout several times to see how it’s working, Kulin said.

“They found that while there was some traffic congestion, overall traffic seems to flow well,” Kulin said. “We hope that once drivers become accustomed to the roundabout, traffic will move even more efficiently.”

BUMPED OUT

Bob from North Las Vegas wanted to know why city crews placed a concrete half-circle at Valley and Three Creeks drives.

“This is away from the curb by approximately one foot, within the traffic lane with an asphalt top,” Bob wrote in an email to the Road Warrior. “This makes no sense at all, as this is a hazard for vehicles traveling south on Valley Drive.”

It turns out those concrete bump-outs from the curb are aimed at calming traffic in your neighborhood, Bob. They were installed where residents have reported issues with vehicles speeding along Valley Drive, said Delen Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the city of North Las Vegas.

“The curbs physically reduce the lane widths, which has been shown to reduce driver speed,” Goldberg said.

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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the intersection of a roundabout in east Las Vegas.