Freeways need to show signs of improvement

You wouldn't think you would need a road map of Las Vegas if you have lived here for more than two decades.

Embarrassingly, one would have come in handy Friday morning when I was scheduled to speak about the valley's traffic and transportation at a Kiwanis meeting and kinda got lost along the way. Apparently it would have come in handy for a handful of other Las Vegans who found themselves playing bumper cars at the Interstate 15/Interstate 215 interchange.

Within two hours, at least three accidents occurred. I'm no Highway Patrol trooper, but it appeared as though drivers were trying to figure out where the heck to exit I-15 to 215 and which ramp veered to the west and which headed east. Last-minute merging attempts were deemed a success only for insurance companies.

Southbound motorists tapped their brakes, probably thinking to themselves, as I was: Does this eastbound 215 ramp still hook up with Las Vegas Boulevard? Northbound motorists: Why am I exiting onto a never-ending frontage-roadlike street to get to the airport?

Bottom line is the recent changes to the freeway system are confusing. And while Las Vegas Paving might excel at accomplishing projects on time and within its budget, signage is apparently not the company's forte.

The airport sign for northbound Interstate 15 traffic says "next exit," but the digital blinking sign seems to take awhile to get to the next part, which is "airport." If you are traveling too fast, you miss it.

We've watched road crews flanking Interstate 15 day and night for the past year or so. We've seen lanes and ramps closed and plenty of barrels and barriers. But unless you have seen a rendering of the $250 million project on paper, it was never clear exactly what they were doing.

Then, poof! Earlier this week the jersey walls were removed and it was like a magician lifting a black cloth to expose a white bunny. Only it wasn't a cute white bunny; it was actually a boring black road on the east side of the freeway just south of Blue Diamond Road. Regardless, for the first time, motorists experienced first-hand what traffic engineers say will greatly reduce congestion on Interstate 15.

These access roads, in engineer language called "connector-distributor" roads, are relatively new in the Las Vegas Valley and haven't really gone over well thus far. It is the same set-up as the U.S. Highway 95 exits to Decatur and Valley View boulevards, and motorists have complained that the design is dangerous.

The intent is to shift the merging that has traditionally happened on the freeway to these frontage-type roads.

The exit on Interstate 15 north is for motorists heading for Blue Diamond Road and Interstate 215. Before its opening, everybody was trying to exit the freeway at once to access Blue Diamond and the 215 further down.

Eventually these access roads will open on both sides of Interstate 15 between Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

With all the newer commercial and residential developments on the west end of Blue Diamond Road, the towering new Blue Diamond flyover also benefits commuters in the southwest valley. The backups we've seen for years at traffic signals on the Blue Diamond bridge over I-15 should vanish as eastbound motorists hop on the flyover and are delivered directly into the northbound freeway lanes.

Motorists headed south on Interstate 15 continue just past the flyover and use a ramp that carries traffic underneath the new overpass. Eventually, motorists will be able to take the old route east across the Blue Diamond bridge and make a left on the access roads to get to the Strip.

The Nevada Department of Transportation shifted the offramps from I-15 to Interstate 215 farther north awhile back. Other than the location of the exits, the configuration is basically the same: Two lanes veer east toward Henderson and one lane stretches west toward Summerlin. And, yes, the exit to Las Vegas Boulevard is still available on the ramp toward eastbound 215.

Nobody is crazy about change, especially those drivers who had to dial up their insurance companies over fender-benders. But when the project wraps up in 2012 and motorists are accustomed to the new design, I'd bet we will all appreciate how smoothly traffic flows south of and alongside the Strip.

"Like everything else, once people get through it a few times, they'll get used to it," said Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Honea. "Any change in your routine is going to take some getting used to."

Honea, who is a real trooper, said accidents happen all the time at the interchange because motorists are traveling too fast and not paying attention. I, who am not a trooper, still think that drivers are freaked out about the new location of the exit ramps and really aren't too sure what to expect.

There are no road maps to tell us where to go, so we have to drive cautiously and rely on signs. Clear signs. Hear that, Las Vegas Paving?

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at 702-387-2904, or send an email to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.