Some construction really is winding up

Plenty of areas around the Las Vegas Valley are difficult to negotiate because of unfinished roads or dead ends caused by the old railroad tracks. Places such as the southwest and portions of Henderson east of U.S. Highway 95 come to mind. It's always a pleasure to deliver some good news to residents who probably feel like they're driving in a test rat's maze half the time. We'll kick off today with this update.

Dave asks: Could you please tell me what they are doing with Warm Springs Road between Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway? There is grading and paving going on , and it appears they may be connecting the current segments of the road so that it is a through street. If this is true, when will it be completed and open for traffic?

You are correct, Dave. Henderson is connecting Warm Springs Road from where it currently ends just east of Boulder Highway on Pabco Road all the way to Lake Mead Parkway. You will be seeing crews out there all weekend repaving Warm Springs at Boulder Highway to better align the existing road with the new extension. By the way, avoid that area if possible this weekend because Warm Springs just west of Boulder Highway will be closed for this project.

The city expects this new segment of Warm Springs linking Boulder Highway to Lake Mead Parkway to be open by early next week.

Jack wants to know: What is the construction going on at Summerlin Parkway and Highway 95?

Last month, crews began work on a flyover that will carry traffic between U.S. Highway 95 and Summerlin Parkway. The $26 million project is for high-occupancy vehicle lanes only, the ones designated for vehicles with more than one person. It has become fairly clear that the bulk of Las Vegas residents -- or I should say the majority of you who read this column -- are not big fans of HOV lanes because while the rest of the highway is congested, the designated lanes are empty and lonely. Whether it is because we are married to our vehicles or that Las Vegas is simply a not-so-friendly-to-carpooling town because of different schedules, it is difficult to imagine that these lanes will be as popular as they are in other cities.

But I digress. Anyway, Jack, the flyover is expected to help Summerlin folks traveling east by delivering them to the HOV lanes on U.S. 95. Currently they have to merge into the highway traffic and scoot all the way to the left in order to enter the designated lanes. Westbound motorists on 95 no longer will have to move to the right to exit onto Summerlin Parkway; the flyover will exist from the center of the highway. The project is expected to be completed in about a year.

Mark is interested in Interstate 15: They seem to be making progress on the frontage roads along I-15 south and also the new Blue Diamond flyover. Any idea when these roads will be open to traffic?

First off, Mark, the flyover might look like it is nearly finished because it is. Representatives of Las Vegas Paving, contractor for the $240 million project, said their goal is to open the ramp to vehicles by the July 4 weekend. This flyover is designed to improve traffic flow from Blue Diamond onto Interstate 15 by guiding eastbound traffic over and then onto I-15 north. The lack of traffic signals and merging is expected to make that transition much smoother.

As far as the new access roads that will flank Interstate 15 between Tropicana Avenue and Blue Diamond Road, they will open up in different phases. The first section, the northbound access road between Blue Diamond and Interstate 215, will be completed within the next two weeks. These 40-foot-wide roads are an integral part of the overall project. The Nevada Department of Transportation hopes that visitors to the Strip and residents who work there will use these frontage roads to gain access to Tropicana, Flamingo and Russell roads. If that strategy works, it will leave the widened Interstate 15 more open to motorists traveling between the north and south ends of the valley.

Jay wants relief: I live behind Rhodes Ranch on Fort Apache Road. Rhodes Ranch has begun building right up against Fort Apache now. The road currently is a two-lane road with heavy traffic at times in from and out to Pahrump. I'm certain the road will be widened where Rhodes Ranch is, but will improvements be made on the whole stretch of Fort Apache from Blue Diamond Road to Warm Springs?

That is a tough question to answer, Jay. The answer is yes -- and no. Here is the deal. Clark County has plans to make Fort Apache a 100-foot-wide road, but it won't happen until residential areas adjacent to the road are built. The developer, Rhodes Ranch in this case, is responsible to build out Fort Apache on the half of the road -- the west half -- adjacent to the development. But it looks as though that will be the only portion widened at this time. Other than that, Clark County is not aware of any plans for development between Blue Diamond and Warm Springs. With this economy, that is not surprising, right?

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