You may have noticed around town that some of the school zone signs have changed. Some like the change, some don’t. Many people used to complain they didn’t like the school zone signs with the times posted. They felt the times were hard to see, and it was too confusing, having to read the times as you drove through.
Those Dynamic Message Signs that you have seen on the I-15 and other highways around the valley are finally started to get you the information you want.
We have already seen construction information posted, amber alerts, and detours… but now, you will see travel times.
The travel times will be posted on the signs between the 215 Beltway and Spaghetti Bowl. The times are estimates only.
You will see the travel times posted between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
There are 17 Dynamic Message Signs in the valley right now, hopefully, the others will eventually show travel times too.
Remember, the Valley highways don’t have sensors like other big cities. Those sensors help read the speeds of the traffic to show slow downs and traffic speeds. We have to rely on other resources.
Here at Channel 8, we use Beat the Traffic. This system takes data from a number of resources and calculates it to show the current speeds. We show green flows for normal moving traffic…. yellow for somewhat slow traffic… and red for major congestion.
We also have calculated travel times to help you before you leave your home or work. All the information is also online here on our traffic page.
Hopefully, all this will help make your lives easier!
I covered a “What’s Driving You Crazy” question today that has everyone talking! Someone asked me when the new Lake Mead & 215 interchange is going to open. Well, I found out, it will be done in about 2 weeks…. but, it won’t open.
There is a verbal agreement between Public Works, the County Commissioners, the city of Las Vegas, and Sun City residents. The county says it was agreed that the interchange would stay closed until the Summerlin Parkway interchange opens in 2010. Sun City residents were very vocal about this. This was decided about 10 years ago during public meetings about this project.
Unless the county hears otherwise, the interchange will sit there…. finished… for two years.
Click here to view a story by our neighborhood guide reporter.
What do you think?
I’m sure there are two sides here. I am curious to hear both sides!
The I-15 widening project is going to make those surface streets very busy, so the agency that controls the valley’s traffic signals is planning a massive effort to try to speed the flow.
Planners say the traffic diverted from I-15 is expected to flow into areas well beyond the actual construction zone. So managers at the valley’s traffic light network — called Fast — have a plan to adjust light timings to try to speed things along on the surface streets.
What do you think about how Las Vegas traffic lights are timed? Add your comments.
Hey Everyone, check out these pictures I took of the Hoover Dam Bridge under construction. I took them on July 6th. It’s really coming along and amazing to see. This is going to be SO helpful to drivers that want to cross to or from Arizona.
You may remember when the wind blew so strong, it knocked one of the construction cranes over. That delayed the project, but now it’s full steam ahead.
This is going to have a major affect on traffic here. The current path is one way in each direction once you get close the Dam and it just is not enough to handle the traffic. You mix visitors with tourists wanting to actually pull over and see this magnificent Dam and it’s just too much.
You look up at that bridge though, and wonder, how will they build the crossover piece! Each side is done, but the center is missing. We all know, it’s coming, and I can’t wait to watch it happen!
California is now hands free! The new law took place July 1st. And YES, it applies to you too once you enter the state of California. Nevada does not have this law yet.
I moved here from Upstate New York and I lived there when the cell phone law was implemented years ago. It all seemed crazy at first, but let me tell you, it is much safer. And don’t think for a second that police won’t pull you over if they see you holding that phone to your ear. I have a long list of friends who have been fined for doing so.
Just a quick blog to say thank you for all the viewer support and votes when it came to the “America’s Hottest Husband” Contest that I signed my hubby up for!
I nominated him a year ago… and he made the final 24. Voting online proved that he was the winner! Many of you have been emailing me wondering what happened with the contest.
Yes, Brendan won!
He is featured in this month’s (JULY) issue of Redbook magazine! You can pick one up and check it out yourself.
I only mentioned it twice on the morning show when the contest was taking place, because I wanted to be fair. I noticed other contestants were getting on TV and in their local newspapers too. As always, the loyal viewers had an interest in what was happening!
I had to hold it inside for a while… Redbook didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
We had the photo shoot in April. Celebrity photographer, Jack Guy, came to our home to shoot Brendan and I. It was so much fun. I am so happy my husband is getting the attention he deserves! He is so great.
We won a cruise in Tahiti. We are excited, I have never been there, and we would probably never go on our own. We had a short honeymoon since our wedding was out of town so this trip will be wonderful. We have to use it sometime this year. It will take a bit to organize a time, but hopefully we can work it out.
We had Brendan on the morning show last week and he was also featured on the national show Inside Edition, which airs here on CBS.
It’s been fun! Thanks again! 
“I know I’m going to die in a car accident.”
That’s what one of my friends told me on Sunday while we discussed driving in Las Vegas. He and his wife went on to say that in the last week they have watched people run stop signs and cut them off several times. I guess they feel enough happens to them every day, to make them believe, they will someday be in a bad accident because of someone else.
Isn’t that awful?
But, you know what. I feel the same way. It’s my worst fear. When I grab the handle of the passenger side door, it’s not because I feel my husband is a terrible driver, it’s because I fear what the person next to us or driving toward us is going to do.
It’s very sad that we feel this way. I thought maybe it was ME, because I work in Traffic and I often see terrible accident scenes. But now, I have started to hear it more and more from other people.
This alone should make us all want to be better drivers.
I drive defensively. People make fun of me…. but I don’t care. I try to be as alert as possible at all times.
I admit, I get caught answering my phone if it rings while I am driving… changing a CD… or reaching for my lipgloss out of my purse. All these things can take my focus off the road and I shouldn’t be doing it.
Have any of you taken your eyes off the road for a second… and then all of a sudden seen brake lights in front of you? Brake lights that weren’t there before! That has happened to me in the past, but I learned my lesson quick!
Listen, anything can happen. But we should all be more cautious overall and be kinder on the roads. Don’t cut people off, don’t hold your hand up and scream or honk your horn in anger…. just think twice. We can all benefit.
And maybe we can stop saying, “I know I’m going to die in a car accident.”
Wouldn’t that be nice?
I usually just pull up and fill up. But… I must say, lately, I too am noticing and hesitating when it comes to filling up my tank.
Recently, talked about our high school graduation year on our morning show. I graduated in 1993. This prompted me to search and see what gas prices were back then. I couldn’t believe what I saw! The price fluctuated from like 99 cents to $1.10 — this shocked me!
Can you imagine??? A buck to fill up!? How great would that be!?
It costs me about 50 dollars to fill up these days. And I have a 4-dour sedan. I dread filling up now. I think to myself as I fill up and watch the numbers roll higher, “there goes the cost of my monthly gym membership, plus my favorite wrap from tropical smoothies, and that magazine I like to buy, oh and the movie I wanted to see this week!”
But then again, I guess I wouldn’t get to any of those things if I coulnd’t drive there… so then I calm down.
We are inching toward $4.00 right now.
Did you see that gas giveaway? The lines of cars down Flamingo waiting for a chance at a free tank of gas.
CLICK HERE to see the video and read the story, it’s amazing how many people lined up for that! I did find it entertaining to watch. Especially the people that pushed their cars into the gas station! I understand it caused quite a traffic mess though… which was probably frustrating for people who were not in line.
This video shows how much people are in need of something FREE right now.
I hope we can all get through this.
I know there are ways to save on gas. ( i.e. by using your Vons card, buying a certain amount of products from the gas station store, etc.) But feel free to share your tips with everyone… the more we know… the more we save!
No, I am not talking about a type of sushi here… I am talking about drivers that do NOT come to a complete stop at stop signs and when they are turning right on red.
I see it all the time. And according to Police, they see it too! I am from Upstate New York orginally, so I had never heard of a “California Roll.” To me, it sounded like something I would choose when I stand in line at the sub shop! But I later learned it’s just a name for a bad driving pattern… and it’s named after California drivers, who are famous for doing it. Rolling through the stop sign or red light.
Did you know, you are not only suppose come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but you are also supposed to stop at the stop bar…. then pull forward…. look both ways… and only go if it’s safe. How many drivers do you think do that? Not many!!
I always find it interesting when I see accident scenes at four way stops. How can that happen? Nobody is going fast… so there should be plenty of time to realize you could crash… right? I guess not. I just don’t get it.
At a four-way stop, police say you are supposed to let the person to your right go first. That’s how a four way works. If we all did this, there would be some kind of order. But instead, it’s who can skip through without having to wait.
The rules of the road are there for a reason. Share your thoughts and tell me your stories. I am sure many of you have one (or two, or three, or four…..)
