Dates set for I-15 closure

This week readers want to know when Interstate 15 will be shut down for blasting; what is the reason for the construction on Lone Mountain Road in North Las Vegas; and what is going on with the bus service at Meadows mall.

Ron asks: When is the dynamiting happening on I-15?

Ron, along with a number of other readers, has been wondering about the blasting and whether it would interfere with holiday travel plans.

One blasting session on I-15 will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. And that means motorists heading south to California are in for quite a wait because the southbound lanes will be closed the entire four hours.

Northbound motorists are expected to experience delays of 15 minutes because of the blasting.

California Department of Transportation workers are blasting in association with the ongoing freeway widening project south of the border.

The blasting also will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 17 and every Wednesday starting Jan. 7 through late April.

During the closures, I-15 southbound traffic will be diverted to the Primm Valley properties for fuel, food and other services.

The best advice is to avoid traveling southbound on I-15 during those times.

But please note that no blasting will take place during the Christmas or New Year's holiday weeks, so any plans to visit California won't be interrupted by exploding dynamite.

Visit www.caltrans8.info or call (866) 383-4631 to learn more about the closures.

A reader asks: What is all that construction on Lone Mountain Road, near Allen Drive? Lone Mountain is completely shut down there. When will it be done?

The work being done is part of the Gowan drainage channel project, said Robert Rixford, senior engineer for the North Las Vegas public works department.

Rixford said the work is expected to be completed in mid-January, which is when that section of Lone Mountain is expected to be reopened.

After that is done, motorists will see some more work being done at the intersection as a traffic signal is installed, Rixford said.

Jonathan Rickert writes: I understand Citizen Area Transit bus service is going cut service to Meadows mall. That means all people who work there or want to shop there are going to have to walk to get to the mall. First they want to raise the rates over two years and now they are cutting service.

To be fair, the Regional Transportation Commission is really just making some changes to Meadows mall bus routes come Jan. 11, not necessarily cutting service.

Those changes do mean a lot more walking for some public transit users.

This includes changes to routes 104 and 402, which will no longer stop in front of Sears at the Meadows mall.

Instead, both routes will have new stops added on Valley View Boulevard adjacent to the mall.

Route 207 will continue to have a stop near Dillards at the mall.

Tracy Bower, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Commission, said the elimination of stops at Meadows mall was made to save time on the two bus routes and also for passengers who are not accessing the mall.

Bower added that bus service in other parts of the valley do not enter malls, including the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson.

I also found the same is true for the Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway.

Visit www.rtcsouthern nevada.com to learn more about other route changes being made in the new year.

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