By: Dayna Roselli
Okay… many of you LOVE the wider U.S. 95 from Rainbow to the Spaghetti Bowl. BUT… there are always complaints about “something,” right!?
I wanted to share some of the viewer complaints and concerns over this new stretch of road… and provide some answers.
A new back-up has formed at U.S. 95 Southbound and I-15 Southbound.
Yes, it has. The reason… is because drivers are moving so quickly on that entire new stretch of 95… they are getting to the I-15 connection a lot faster! For example, the vehicles are not getting stuck at Jones & Decatur… they are moving at regular speeds. Which means means many more vehicles are now in the same place at the same time. This is what is causing a slow transition to I-15 South. You could exit at Valley View and take one of the surface streets eastbound to the I-15 and pass all the congestion.
Why is the MLK Off Ramp still closed?
This ramp will remain closed for about another year. The city of Las Vegas is getting ready to widen MLK and the ramp will not open until that project is done. This project will take a while, because the city has to relocate a lot of utilities.
Why is the speed limit only 60 mph on the widened U.S. 95?
Believe it or not… it was ALWAYS 60 mph… even before construction started. Engineers with NDOT feel 60 mph is still a safe speed limit… even though it’s wider. There are still curves in the road and 65 mph would be too fast.
I hope this information helps! 
I love the new expanded freeway! However, there needs to be better freeway signs on 95 South before the Spaghetti Bowl.
On the 95 South just before the Spaghetti Bowl, when the freeway splits (3 right lanes exit to 15 South, 2 left lanes continue on 95 South), there should be arrows pointing DOWN to which lane goes where. Primarily, an arrow pointing to the lane that will lead to the 15 North exit.
Comment by Fredo — December 2, 2007 @ 12:27 am
I absolutely love the new 95 widening as it now only takes me 10 minutes to get to work instead of 25-30 minutes. The only thing that bothers me now is how traffic comes to a stop at where the 95 meets Summerlin Parkway. It is only 2 lanes and the people who merge from the 95 onto Summerlin Parkway don’t know how to merge. Any advice on this?
Comment by Casey — December 3, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
Well, this is tough… if they don’t know how to merge… there’s not much I can do… except tell people to start slowing, put your blinker on, and move over when you can. I can suggest that you get off at Jones… and take Alta down to Rainbow and get back on. But that’s up to you! Not sure how much time that would save you. Hope this helps, somewhat.
Comment by Dayna Roselli — December 5, 2007 @ 10:43 am
When will they start inforcing the HOV/Car Pool and Metered Ramps? It is amazing the number of vehicles that us the HOV lane to access the highways, but very few cars use the HOV lanes once they are on the highway. At $250 to 300 a pop, they could be raking in the dough.
Comment by Duane — December 6, 2007 @ 9:57 pm
There are soooo many ways to get around the valley without getting on the freeway. Many many east/west and north/south arteries you can use. I am from California originally and laugh when I hear people complain about the traffic here. WHAT TRAFFIC? Everyone whines and cries but no one stops to think maybe I should find another route. One thing that amazes me though is when people pay thousands of dollars for a vehicle only to discover that the loose nut behind the wheel doesn’t know how to use the mirrors or the turn signals that the cars comes standard with. Yes, STANDARD not options. You wanna get in? First learn to use your mirrors to see if you are cutting me off or not and then kindly tell me you want to get over by telling me with your turn signal. Otherwise expect to pay higher insurance rates.
Comment by Russ — December 21, 2007 @ 8:42 am
I bicycle commute to work on Boulder Hwy because it has a wide and safe bicycle lane. Increasingly, I have noticed obstruction of the bike lane by parked motor vehicles. In this event I use a hand signal and merge into the driving lane. Sometimes this causes the traffic behind me to have to slow and other times I have to wait to have a safe opening in which to merge. The fact that the bike lane/no parking traffic law is not enforced perpetuates this dangerous situation. With the pollution and congestion of LV getting worse the community should embrace and encourage transportation alternatives. Lastly, I searched their website and was unable to locate a traffic complaint form or similar to ask LVPD these questions.
Comment by Paul Grube — March 7, 2008 @ 3:15 pm