Traffic lights, vehicle flow and the Sahara Express

Do you ever wonder why the Regional Transportation Commission calls its new express lines "express lines," when they hit traffic signals, too? Well for good reason and thanks to Greta's question, we now know the answer.

I'm looking forward to the Sahara Express opening and hopefully taking advantage of the new routes. When you mentioned the route being more efficient due to traffic signal-controlling devices, will those be the strobe-activated ones emergency vehicles use? I ask because I'd read somewhere that it takes time for the normal light timing to fall back in place after each disruption. This is not a problem for occasional emergency vehicle passage, but I suspect it could really jam traffic up if done on a regular basis on a bus route. Any insight?

Good question, Greta. The controls will not work the same as when activated by emergency vehicles, which are considered first priority. They have the authority to trigger a green light and that will disrupt the sequence of the signal. You are right, that type of system would cause all sorts of chaos on Sahara Avenue, which intersects with several other arterials.

The Regional Transportation Commission's vehicles are considered second- priority vehicles, and they will be given signal priority for east and west travel. This doesn't disrupt the signals.

Here's how it works: If the bus is approaching an intersection and the green light is about to turn yellow, the green light will be extended until the bus passes through. If the vehicle is approaching a red light, the signal will have a shorter time on red to keep the bus moving. The idea is to keep the transit system flowing smoothly and quickly, which is key to it being an express route.

Tom returns with another Lamb Boulevard question: Lamb Boulevard at Charleston Boulevard is two lanes going north when just 300 feet up the road you get a third lane. My question, why not have three lanes northbound at Charleston?

The third lane on Lamb Boulevard ends at Charleston because the right-turn traffic is so heavy. When Lamb was repaved a year ago, the three-lane configuration was extended to Moonlight Drive; it had previously ended at Stewart Avenue. But there are plans to do more.

The city of Las Vegas has zeroed in on this area partly because it is on the Metropolitan Police Department's "worst intersection for crashes" list, city officials said. Engineers are designing the project, which will include widening the intersection to improve its safety and increase the number of vehicles it can accommodate. The work should begin early next year.

The city's project will include bus turnouts, designated right-turn lanes and dual left-turn lanes in all directions except for eastbound Lamb Boulevard, where there will be a triple left-turn lane. The third lane will open up on northbound Lamb because a designated right-turn lane on Charleston will alleviate the problem that exists today.

Garry wants to let Arizona know what it can do with its toll road: Is this toll road through Arizona idea still being pursued by our dishonest, thieving friends to the south? If so, to whom should we petition our objections and how do we get this rip off more media time to stop it?

Garry is referring to a proposal to convert 30 miles of Interstate 15 through the Virgin River Gorge -- which cuts through a small northern portion of Arizona -- into a toll road.

This proposal is in its infancy and is being explored only by Arizona. If it moves forward, the Federal Highway Administration would make the final decision. Therefore, that is where letters of support or protest should be sent.

In its application to the Federal Highway Administration, Arizona transportation officials said the stretch of I-15 does little to contribute to the state's economy but is costly to maintain. They said that the freeway and supporting bridges, all of which are nearly a half-century old, need to be rehabilitated and that the cost to do it hovers around $181 million. They said the road is costly to maintain because of its location in the narrow gorge and because of the wear and tear from trucks.

If the freeway were converted into a toll road, cars would be charged between $1 and $3 and truckers would be charged between $3 and $6 a trip.

A reader who goes by "Aggravated in Las Vegas" (that narrows it down) has this: Is there no money left in the road improvement fund of Clark County to repair or repave Windmill Parkway? I haven't seen a road in a worse condition than Windmill (Lane), from Las Vegas Boulevard all the way up to Eastern Avenue, since I had a stopover in Vietnam. I'm tired of having to navigate potholes, debris and loose gravel, not to mention the damage it's having on my brand-new Dodge Challenger. Do you know of any plans to repave this roadway in the near future? I might be out four new tires, new brakes, struts and shock absorbers by then!

Well Mr. or Ms. Aggravated, you might want to avoid using Windmill for a few months to preserve your new vehicle. Clark County recently awarded the contract to repave Windmill between Las Vegas Boulevard and Eastern Avenue. Funding for the project comes from Question 10, the one-eighth of one cent sales tax approved by voters in 2002.

The county expects to get the project under way by late spring, when nighttime temperatures are warm enough to allow the asphalt to set properly.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at
apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.