Labor Day brings a lot with it. 

Not only is it supposedly the….. last summer hurrah, the last day you can wear white pants or shoes, the last big barbeque, the last big party weekend, etc., etc. …. it can also be a very deadly weekend on the roads. 

Drinking and driving is up… police are out in full force doing DUI checkpoints and patrolling the streets and highways.   They take this very seriously… and even though we all know that… somehow, people do it anyway.  They drink up, they drive home. 

This year, the Nevada Highway Patrol is partnering with Metro Police and other police agencies to enforce the laws on the roads.  Local bars and Designated Driving and Anti-DUI groups have a plan in place to give patrons free rides home.   The list goes on.  It’s nice to see the community cares about the safety of its visitors and residents.  Remember, we live in a town with accessible taxis, hotels, and establishments that don’t close until the wee hours of the morning.  This alone should help keep drunk drivers off the road.

By the way, if you are heading out of town… the Nevada Department of Transportation now has a 511 number you can use for construction and road updates.  Isn’t that handy?  Here’s some information:

The system posts current Nevada road, construction, weather and accident reports to an easy-to-remember 511 phone number and www.nevadadot.com Web site. Motorists simply dial 511 toll-free, 24 hours a day from within the state. Designated by major section of state road, callers then select their state route number for automated road conditions, weather forecasts, scheduled event road closures and construction updates.  Hands-free, interactive voice recognition allows voice commands without the hazard of pushing number selections while driving.  Out-of-state callers can dial 1-877-NV-ROADS to receive the same information.

Have a great weekend!  And remember… it’s a Federal Holiday… so many offices are closed! 

Posted by Dayna Roselli

Today I woke up to the sounds of thunder ( at about 1:30 in the morning ) … then the sounds of hard rain… it just kept pouring and pouring… I thought to myself, "wow, I haven’t heard it rain like this in ages!"  Usually when it rains… it’s there, then it’s gone.  But this was steady.  I couldn’t sleep, knowing the commute would be a mess, there would be flooding to cover, and it was also the first day of school for Clark County teachers and kids.  What a morning it was going to be! 

Anyway, my commute was fairly easy…. I ran into one large puddle of water that was difficult to see becauase it was so dark… other than that, I made it in successfully! 

Of course, we had to cover the storm first… the flooding, the the swift water rescues, the truck and car accidents, homes hit by lightening,  etc.  So that was the priority.  The pictures that came in from our live crews and Skywitness 8 were amazing.  The water rushing, the cars being pushed against fences and stuck in the water… some streets looked like rivers.

We are always suprised and shocked to watch cars drive right through the flood waters on live television.  The water is up to their car windows! Who would think it was okay to do that?

Obviously, many of them get stuck…. then we have our emergency crews running around to help them.  I find this to be a problem because there are other things happening that some people can’t help… like the home that was struck by lightning.   

Think about that next time… if you think you can drive through… you probably can’t.  And, if you get stuck… one of our city or county emergency crews might be helping  you, instead of being somewhere where the danger was "unpreventable!"

Posted by Dayna Roselli

The Nevada Department of Transportation wanted to make I told everyone about the upcoming highway closures in Henderson.  They will narrow the I-515 & U.S. 95 down to one lane in the southbound direction this weekend (8/17) and the northbound direction next weekend (8/24). The highway will only have one lane open from Sunset to Foothills Drive. 

As an alternate route, use Boulder Highway.  NDOT has partnered with the Regional Transportation Commission and the FAST staff to "retime" the traffic signals on Boulder for these two weekends.  It will help keep traffic moving.  They really want to keep traffic off the highway, in order to make their job easier.

The lanes will close Friday at 9 p.m. and reopen 5 a.m. Monday.

Here’s what is interesting.  The rubberized asphalt is made of recycled tires! It is layed down to reduce noise for drivers and people living in the area.   When talking with NDOT’s Bob Mckenzie… he told me they use it a lot in Arizona… but not in Nevada.  He says it should make for a smoother drive. 

Maybe this will even replace the "soundwall" someday!  You know many people that buy homes near a highway get upset when the soundwall goes up, because it blocks their "view."  So you never know.  The rubberized asphalt makes use of old tires… but it is a little pricey.  In two weeks, check it out… see if you notice a difference. 

Posted by Dayna Roselli

I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing road trip with my husband last weekend.  The trip was great.  The drive was NOT.  I can’t believe how crazy it was on the I-15.  All the stories I have heard from the Nevada Highway Patrol were true!  They have told me how drivers go 110 mph on the I-15, to and from Las Vegas.  I have driven the I-15 to Los Angeles before, but I don’t remember it being so bad.

Anyway, I can’t tell you how many times I grabbed the "door handle" or the handle hanging near the window (actually I do that around here when my husband drives.) 

Anyway, my husband was behind the wheel this time too… but he was being careful.  I held the handle tight as drivers squeezed through traffic going 90 mph, weaving in and out, passing, braking, speeding up…. it was insane! I actually got a headache on the way there!  Maybe I should have just put my head down, and not watched… but I couldn’t, because I was afraid something would happen and I wouldn’t see it coming!

The traffic coming toward Las Vegas was slow… bumper to bumper in some spots.  And I actually thought for a moment… I would rather be stopped in traffic… than get killed by these unsafe drivers. 

Seriously, how do people do it? Don’t they understand what could happen going that fast.  Most of the I-15 is only two lanes… so you have nowhere to go.  It’s very dangerous.   I really wish people would slow down.  But, nobody is going to listen to me.  It takes an accident, an injury, or a life in order to get some people to drive the speed limit.   I have been in several minor accidents… they were wake up calls for me… and yes, I will admit, sometimes I am a bit too cautious… but it’s fine with me.   I like going at my own pace… and knowing what is going on around me.  At least I can try to make some sort of decision if something happens. 

The traffic in Los Angeles is bad…. but it’s not that bad on the weekends.  I am such a fan of surface streets… we took them almost everywhere.  We had a fun weekend at Universal Studios, Santa Monica Beach, and shopping in town. 

I took a lot of pictures.  It’s my favorite hobby!  I have a great new camera my parents bought me for Christmas.

I don’t know if I could deal with all the "paid parking."  We are very lucky here in Las Vegas.  Valet is free… and parking garages (most of them) are free.  It is really a nice luxury.  And our streets are so wide too!  It’s interesting… you learn to appreciate once you experience what some other cities have to deal with!

That’s my two cents!

Posted by Dayna Roselli