U.S. 95 construction work is hot topic

Quite a few callers posed questions last week when radio host Alan Stock invited me to be a guest on his show on KXNT (840 AM, 100.5 FM), which recently switched to the 5 p.m. time slot. I promised to address these questions in this week's column and did my best to get government officials to respond. We'll lead today off with a handful of those inquiries.

Steve expressed concerns about shifting traffic on U.S. Highway 95: At the Vegas Drive bridge, the four lanes shift to the left. It's a dangerous situation. Is there a plan to fix it?

This is a temporary situation, according to Bob McKenzie of the Nevada Department of Transportation. The agency is widening U.S. 95 west of Washington Avenue to Ann Road. The project, which will take about two years to complete, includes widening the freeway to eight lanes and adding a high-occupancy-vehicle lane. The agency also will add an auxiliary lane northbound from Rainbow Boulevard to Ann and "braid" the north and southbound ramps at the Rancho/Ann interchange. Work began last month.

Ethan questioned the layout of the offramps from U.S. 95 at Valley View and Decatur boulevards: Why aren't there signs indicating that vehicles entering the highway from Decatur must merge with traffic exiting the highway onto Valley View?

Well, Ethan, the transportation department doesn't view this as a huge problem. One of their engineers uses the Valley View exit every day. He did note that motorists on the highway offramp must pay extra attention to those entering the highway from Decatur because some of them are unaware of the upcoming merge. Your inquiry did prompt engineers to agree to place another merge sign on the right side of the Decatur approach.

Robert is confused about school zones: What does it mean when a school speed limit sign says, "When children are present?"

Robert is right: This is confusing, and that's why these signs are gradually being replaced by the signs with the flashing amber lights. The speed limits are in effect before school and after classes when crowds of students are walking to school or boarding buses. It also is enforced when kids are out for recess, even if the playground is fenced in. If it's 5 p.m. and school is clearly not in session, the school zone is not enforced.

Sherry is frustrated with the traffic signals on Alexander Road at the intersections of Tenaya Way and Rainbow Boulevard. She said the light is so short that maybe two cars can get through.

These are tough questions to answer because the folks at the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST) need to know the time of day before they determine whether a synchronizing problem exists. Feel free to keep these concerns coming my way, but please provide details. In the meantime, motorists can lodge complaints with FAST by e-mailing askfast@rtcsnv.com. They will send engineers out to check the light.

Ted is curious: After the Minneapolis bridge disaster, local articles noted that the one structurally deficient bridge in our area was the Sahara Avenue bridge on Interstate 15. Given the pounding it takes every day and the constant traffic backups onto it, what is the latest on the condition of the bridge and any attempts to upgrade the structural integrity?

Actually, Ted, the bridge has always been in fine shape, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation. Misinformation about the bridge has been spread since it was mistakenly included in the department's 2007 Preservation Report that listed structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges. The bridge actually has a sufficiency rating of 82, not bad on a scale of 0 to 100.

Robert is irritated: Do you have any updates on when the repaving work is going to start between the Las Vegas Beltway and Wigwam Avenue? It was supposed to have started weeks ago.

Ah yes, Eastern Avenue. The start date on this project is a moving target. Obviously. It's been addressed here more than once, and it should be under way, but there are no signs of heavy equipment in the area. It's no easy task getting information from Clark County, but after digging around its website, I managed to find this: The repaving project is expected to be complete in November.

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.