Work south of Strip irks some

Visitors to Town Square or Fry's Electronics or anywhere south of the Strip have expressed frustration at the ongoing road projects in the area. Not only are parts of Las Vegas Boulevard a mess, but commuters also have to deal with sporadic ramp closings associated with the Interstate 15 design-build project. Here is the latest:

Annie asks: What is going on on Las Vegas Boulevard near Warm Springs? The lanes narrow and traffic is terrible. Last Sunday, traffic was completely stopped. What is happening and when will it be finished?

This intersection is part of a larger project to improve Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip. At Warm Springs, crews began widening Las Vegas Boulevard in August. In the end, the boulevard will be widened to six lanes including median islands and modified traffic signals.

The next phase of the project will address the offramp from Interstate 15 onto Las Vegas Boulevard near Town Square. Crews soon will begin work on the eastbound ramps from Interstate 15 and the Las Vegas Beltway to add duel left-turn lanes onto northbound Las Vegas Boulevard. The contractor is currently working on the project, which is expected to be finished by the middle of 2011.

By the way, the Sunday to which Annie was referring was Halloween and Town Square hosted a party that attracted tens of thousands of children and parents. That had to contribute to her woes as well.

Don wants to know the frequency: Driving along Highway 95 or Interstate 15 in the Las Vegas Valley, I have noticed many poles along the side of the highway with what appears to be some sort of radio frequency antenna attached. What are those, what are they for and how do they work?

These are part of a Freeway & Arterial System of Transportation (FAST) system that informs motorists how much time it is estimated to take to reach a certain exit. These were first placed along Interstate 15 and recently added to locations along Highway 95. Eventually, the Regional Transportation Commission will install the detectors on the valley's entire network of freeways. The cameras are never used for law enforcement purposes. They monitor traffic flow and gauge the average speed, then send that information to FAST computers which generate a travel time to certain arterials. The travel times are updated every few minutes.

Tammy wants a wider Valley View: The west side of Valley View Boulevard was recently torn up. I thought it was part of the city's plans to widen Valley View, which I heard was going to happen. The road doesn't look wider. Am I missing something?

The work on Valley View Boulevard over the summer was related to
$11 million in storm drainage improvements. I believe the widening project to which Tammy is referring is the city's longer term plan to add lanes so that Valley View has three northbound lanes between Highway 95 and Desert Inn Road. Valley View won't actually be widened; the city plans to add the lanes within the existing right of way. The city plans to work on Jones too, adding an additional southbound lane between Highway 95 and Desert Inn Road.

Scott is frustrated: Why is there a multi-mile bumper-to-bumper backup every weekend in Boulder City on the way to the new bridge? Once on the bridge, the lanes change from two to four and traffic flows smoothly. Is this a design flaw?

I'm not certain that you could label this a design flaw because engineers recognized what problems could arise when you have a two-lane highway that opens up to four lanes, or if you're coming from Arizona, a four-lane highway narrowing down to two. We addressed this recently, but it's worth revisiting because so many tourists and commuters are headed toward the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge. There is about a mile and a half stretch of Highway 93 where the roadway is two lanes. That, apparently, is causing some backup. Further contributing to the congestion is the fact that 2,000 semi-trucks pass across the bridge every day.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is in the process of designing the project to widen this short section, but the task will not be easy because of right -of-way issues. Officials hope to have the problem remedied by next summer.

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.