Clark County Roads: Who paints the lines?
This week I did a “What’s Driving You Crazy?!” special report on who paints the lines on county roads. We found out that there is only a crew of FOUR people in charge of this. Last year they painted almost 7,000 miles of roadway! They cover all county roads from Logandale to Sandy Valley.
Here are the links to the stories:
Many people ask, why only four people? How can that possibly be? Clark County says it obviously comes down to funding. The Public Works Department shares a budget with METRO and UMC… so in the end… it receives the smallest piece of the pie. Only about 2.4 percent.
Each year, every department hands in a budget with its personnel and equipment needs. It goes to management, then to the County’s Department of Finance. The Department of Finance takes in all the information and makes a priority list for the county’s annual budge. This list then goes to the Board of County Commissioners for approvel. Many of the decisions depend on the County’s projected revenue for the upcoming year.
So for now… the County is stuck with using only one Maintenance Supervisor and a crew of three to work with him. They also only have one paint truck. And one new machine that helps seal those RPM’s (Raised Pavement Markers) down to the road.
Here’s some information that can help you. I know many of you see spots of concern around the valley, here are some numbers you can use to report a faded line, ghost line, an area that needs a school crosswalk, etc.
Clark County Traffic Operations Division: 702-455-7544
( The county is in charge of county roads and the 215 Beltway west of the I-15)
North Las Vegas: 702-633-1264
Nevada Dept. of Transportation: 702-385-6504
Henderson: 702-267-3099
City of Las Vegas: 702-229-6276
** But remember, make sure you leave your name and number if you get a message! They want to be able to call you back and update you on the issue. Sometimes the issue you have is not in their jurisdiction too. So they want to call you and give you the correct number.
Tags: line painting, roads, traffic
February 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
I saw the report on the road line painting. I have called the office and did speak to the supervisor. He explained the rules. There are rules for the Clark County and rules for The City of Las Vegas. He said it does get confusing. If you want a stop line repainted, you have to be in the county. If in the city, there has to be a 4 way stop or stop and go traffic lights. The list goes on and on. Since I am a crossing guard, I was calling to see what could be done for an intersection I work at. It is 1/2 block from Stanford Elementary School and across the strett from El Dorado High School and right in front of the Christy Ward of the LDS. Guess what? only a 2 way stop sign. Even though the crosswalks are there and faded stop lines. Nothing can be done about painting the stop lines. Also another reason was the water running in street, due to sprinklers. The road is alway cracked and in disrepair.
I can see with 4 guys why things aren’t being done to the publics satisfaction. With so many rules and so few employees, I guess only the worst of the worst on the main streets get done.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
The prolific use of these RPMs is ridiculous. I understand that they may last longer, be more reflective, or more clearly define the lanes on the roadway but is it necessary to put 6 ROWS of them each one spaced just an inch or so from the other? These RPMS have recently been installed all along Corporate Circle (here in Green Valley). Driving over them- even at the speed limit or slower- is not only vibrating my car apart but they’re slippery when wet. Several times I’ve almost lost control of my car as a result. What most people are finding is that if you go over them faster, you experience less vibration and are your tires are less likely to lose contact with the road. In effect, what I’m sure someone thought would slow people down has had the complete, opposite effect- they simply speed up.
Go figure.