Cell Phone Lot a handy place to wait at McCarran airport
Just about anyone who’s driven through McCarran International Airport should be acquainted by now with the handy Cell Phone Lot.
For the uninitiated: Give it a try the next time you’re picking up a friend or family member. It’s really easy and convenient.
Located just at the south end of the airport’s Economy Lott off Kitty Hawk Way, the Cell Phone Lot sets aside more than 100 paved parking spots where motorists can wait for a call or text from arriving passengers waiting at the arrivals curbs.
And it’s completely free, open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
You might want to bring a book or a magazine while you wait for that call, but there’s really no need to be bored. Look west for a sweeping view of the Strip, which can be particularly impressive at sunset.
Newcomers should beware of a few rules: Don’t leave your vehicle unattended, or you could be slapped with a nasty fine and maybe even towed. Drivers for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft aren’t allowed to park at the lot, which is monitored 24 hours a day by security cameras and airport staff.
The only downside is that there aren’t any restrooms to use in case your buddy’s flight gets delayed — or if he was distracted by one of the airport’s many slot machines.
The Cell Phone Lot opened last year with little fanfare and remains a relatively undiscovered gem that should really be used more often.
Kenny from Las Vegas said he had a pleasant experience while waiting for his wife’s flight to arrive on a recent Thursday evening, when six other vehicles were parked at the Cell Phone Lot. By the time he was summoned by his spouse, Kenny said, there were roughly 50 vehicles inching along the arrivals curb, looking for their loved ones.
“I know McCarran does not want to promote for loss of parking revenue, but I think the whole passenger pickup situation would work a lot smoother if more people used the Cell Phone Lot,” Kenny wrote in an email to the Road Warrior, wanting to know why airport officials don’t advertise the lot’s benefits.
Along with roadway signs providing directions to the Cell Phone Lot, information is also posted on McCarran International’s website, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said. The lot is also heavily promoted on the airport’s social media channels, including Twitter and Facebook.
A segment was also featured on the airport’s closed-circuit television program “Flight Path,” which can also be viewed on YouTube, with an upcoming spot that will be presented in Spanish.
Pockmarked road
Potholes abound on Arroyo Grande Boulevard between Wigwam Parkway and Warm Springs Road, according to Anita from Henderson.
“I dodge one hole, only to hit another,” Anita told the Road Warrior.
Plans are being drawn up to fix the problem, Henderson spokeswoman Kim Becker said. A rehabilitation project is expected to be completed by fall encompassing a longer stretch of Arroyo Grande, between Horizon Ridge Parkway and Sunset Road.
Pavement project
Bruce from Las Vegas said he noticed some orange cones placed along Cliff Shadows Parkway between Alexander Road and the 215 Beltway on-ramp on the city’s northwest side. However, he hasn’t seen any workers, and he wanted to know what the project is.
New traffic signal detection loops were recently embedded into the pavement at Cliff Shadows and Novat Street, Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said. Permanent road striping and utility adjustments are being made now, and the project should wrap up sometime this month.
Signal pending
Barry from Las Vegas wanted to know whether a four-way stop sign will be replaced with a traffic signal at Buffalo Drive and Robindale Road in the southwest end of the valley. Some poles were recently installed, looking like they could accommodate signals. But Barry hasn’t seen any progress.
There are plans to eventually install a traffic signal at this intersection, but it’s unclear when that will happen, Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.
Connecting Cimarron
A small section of Cimarron Road ends and then restarts just north of Blue Diamond Road in the southwest valley. Andrew from Las Vegas wanted to know when that gap will close, so Cimarron can run seamlessly.
“There’s about 30 feet of dirt between the two that is blocked off,” Andrew said. “So close, yet so far away.”
Kulin, the county spokesman, said an additional right-of-way needs to be obtained to complete that connection on Cimarron.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow @RJroadwarrior on Twitter.
ROAD WORK AHEAD
Downtown
— Rancho Drive exit from southbound U.S. Highway 95 will be closed 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through Thursday. Crews are installing traffic management signs.
— Bonanza Road is restricted between Main and Bruce streets until May 12. Crews are digging trenches and making sidewalk improvements.
— Main Street is restricted between Bonneville Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard through May 28. Crews are working on a storm drain.
— Commerce Street is restricted between Wyoming Avenue and Main Street through May 30 for road improvements.
— The northbound U.S. Highway 95 exit ramp to Rancho Drive will be closed from Thursday to June 21 for work associated with Project Neon.
— Martin Luther King Boulevard is closed between Oakey Boulevard and Interstate 15 through July. Crews are installing drainage boxes.
— Oakey Boulevard is closed between Main and Commerce streets through July. Crews are installing underground utilities and storm drain infrastructure.
— Washington Avenue is restricted between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Rancho Drive through Aug. 1. Crews are installing gas lines.
— Ninth Street is closed between Carson Avenue and Main Street through Dec. 31 for sewer work.
— U.S. Highway 95 will be restricted between Rancho Road and just east of Interstate 15 through January 2018. Crews are building a new flyover ramp for high-occupancy vehicles as part of Project Neon.
— 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.
East valley
— Eastern Avenue onramps and offramps to the 215 Beltway will alternately close for overnight work through May 6. The ramps are being repaved.
— Warm Springs Road onramp to westbound 215 Beltway will be closed until late May. Crews are working on a new bridge for the Airport Connector.
— Nellis Boulevard will be restricted between Gowan and Craig roads through June 15. Crews are completing sewer work.
— Las Vegas Boulevard will be restricted between Nellis Boulevard and Puebla Street through June 15. Crews are completing sewer work.
— Warm Springs Road offramp from the eastbound 215 Beltway will be closed through June. Crews are building a new bridge over the highway.
Northwest
— Northbound U.S. Highway 95 will be restricted to one lane between Craig Road and the 215 Beltway from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly through May 5. Crews are building a new flyover bridge.
— Farm Road is restricted south of Durango Drive through May 21. Crews are working on water and sewer lines.
— Southbound U.S. Highway 95 will be restricted to one lane between Durango Drive and the 215 Beltway from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly through May 5. Crews are building a new flyover bridge.
Southwest
— Rainbow Boulevard will be restricted in each direction between Hacienda Avenue and Sunset Road from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. until mid-June. Crews are repaving the road and adding a traffic lane.
Summerlin
— Cliff Shadows Parkway is restricted at Novat Street through May 15. Crews are installing a traffic signal.
— Summerlin Parkway's westbound lanes will be restricted between Buffalo Drive and Rampart Boulevard through July. Crews are building a new auxiliary lane and making other improvements.
— The 13-mile scenic route at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area will be repaved in one-mile increments through summer.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.67 per gallon. It was $2.71 in Nevada. The national average of $2.38 is down 4 cents from a week ago, up 9 cents from a month ago and up 20 cents from a year ago.
