Tackling perplexing stop signs, valley traffic mysteries

You want an update on all the traffic cones on the northern part of U.S. Highway 95?

Bam, we've got it.

Wondering about stop signs that seem to make no sense?

Your answer's here.

Can't figure out why there's no freeway exit where you think there should be one? Stick around. There's learning to be done today.

Kurt writes: Why are there stop signs at Alta and Desert Foothills drives? Westbound Alta currently ends at Desert Foothills and northbound Desert Foothills ends at Alta. I know those roads will continue sometime in the future, but it has been this way for a number of years and doesn't look like it is going to change any time soon. The stop signs serve no safety purpose at all. My friend even got a ticket for not stopping there.

Kurt seems to make a good point here. Stop signs at the meeting of two dead-end roads? Come on, man, that makes about a much sense as those warnings on plastic grocery bags that you shouldn't let your toddler use them as toys.

Fight the power!

This is up at the west end of Summerlin, so it's a city of Las Vegas deal. I asked spokeswoman Diana Paul about it.

She said that because Alta is being extended to the west, there's all kinds of contruction equipment entering the area. They could be coming from any direction, including one where there isn't any road yet.

Also, there's a large open drainage channel just northwest of the intersection. And there are no streetlights. Which means you might not see this pit of darkness at night if you're driving fast.

So, the stop signs.

I went up that way Tuesday morning to check this out. And you know what? I agree with Kurt when it comes to Desert Hills. This road curves into Alta. There's a concrete median. There's no way you're going to get hurt not stopping there. Put some reflective tape up so drivers can see the turn at night and get rid of that stop sign.

But I can see a reason for the stop sign on Alta. You don't want to come through there at 30 mph only to realize that giant water tanker over in the gravel is about to turn right in front of you.

Lee writes in with one I've had from several people, and one that the last Road Warrior covered more than once. This one gets to people. Lee wrote: I am not sure who designed the "new" I-15 but am pretty certain they don't live in the southwest part of town. People in this area traveling east on 215 got screwed last year when entering I-15 south and couldn't access eastbound Blue Diamond Road. We now have to exit westbound Blue Diamond and make a U-turn to go east.

This didn't make any sense to me, so I drove it Tuesday. Sure enough, Lee is right. I had to exit west, drive all the way up to the stoplight, and flip a U-turn.

You can't get from eastbound Interstate 215 to eastbound Blue Diamond, which turns into Windmill Parkway.

When you merge from the 215 to Interstate 15, you're forced onto one of those new "access roads," which run beside the freeway for a while. You soon encounter a sign directing you to either Blue Diamond westbound or to the 15 southbound.

The worst part? You can look over onto the 15 and see a sign directing those drivers to the eastbound Blue Diamond exit. It's like the sign is there just to tease you.

Damon Hodge, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said there aren't any plans to add an exit, either.

The logic, as it has been explained in the past, is that not a whole lot of people need that exit. Drivers could just stay on the 215 and take the Windmill exit a little ways ahead or use the Silverado Ranch exit on the 15.

Besides, there wasn't enough room for another ramp.

So there you have it: U-turn or another route. It's your call.

Jason asked a question I've been wondering about myself, and Hodge has some better news for drivers. Jason wrote: On behalf of myself and all Centennial Hills residents, can we get some sort of detailed update as to the progress of the U.S. 95 northwest project up here? There used to be a website for it (www.us95nw.com) but it seems to be gone, and the page on the Nevada DOT website about it hasn't been updated for several months.

Hodge agreed that NDOT needed to do better at keeping folks up to date on this one.

He said the current phase of the project should be finished late this fall.

Here's a short version of what the project has included:

■ Widening U.S. 95.

■ Widening the Gowan Road bridge.

■ Improving the interchanges at Cheyenne Avenue, Lake Mead Boulevard, Durango Drive, and the Rancho and Ann Road junction.

I checked Tuesday afternoon, by the way, and that website Jason mentioned was up and running.

If you go there, you'll note that there are a couple of phases left in the U.S. 95 project, including a reworking of the interchange with the northern end of the 215, so don't go doing a happy dance just yet.

Send your questions to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com.