Teresa’s Traffic Issue:

Teresa wrote in and says exiting at Las Vegas Boulevard from the I-215 Freeway going east- is drives both her and her husband crazy!  Teresa writes: “There are three lanes… one lane turns left, one lane goes forward and one lane goes right. The left turn lane is the lane that gets backed up. After all of the money spent building Town Square, it would be nice if you could get to it without a twenty minute wait and four stop light rotations! Why don’t they make the forward lane turn right, since it seems no one goes straight anyway?”

Melissa’s Answer:

I asked the County about this backed up intersection! Authorities said because of its current design and the way it was built, there isn’t enough room to allow dual left turns at the same time. Now for the good news! A construction project that is expected to start by the end of the year will do some work improvements on Las Vegas Boulevard that will create the space to allow two left turns going northbound on the strip, towards the Town Square overpass. When construction starts, this will make for one really busy area… and not to mention many frustrated shoppers! But in the long run… it will be good for everyone!

Joe’s Question:

Joe wrote in and says he’s happy that the road work extending from Maryland Parkway to the south side of St. Rose is finally done- but now he wants to know- what happened to the rest of it?! He says: “I discovered it’s sort of like an infamous bridge to nowhere. The new sections that were built are only about three blocks long! Are builders planning to put up developments around there? Even more importantly, will there be a traffic light here in the near future? One is needed here really badly!”

Melissa’s Answer:

A construction project that doesn’t finish the work?! What’s up with that? I asked authorities from the City of Henderson about it. They said the part of the road that was built, was done by the developers of the southwest corner of St. Rose and Maryland Parkway. This entire area is a classic case of different developers being responsible for improving different sections of the roads. A time frame of when these developers need to finish these improvements were not available. However, the plan is to eventually have a road connect to the extension of Sunridge Heights– which runs parallel to St. Rose. Also, the City hopes to get the funding approved for a traffic light at a City Council meeting being held on June 16th. My fingers are crossed to get that funding approved for a traffic light for Joe and everyone else who drives this area!

Many drivers around the Valley ask why there aren’t traffic lights at certain intersections– or requesting studies for ones in  busy areas that don’t have one!  With new areas still developing around town, not to mention all of the construction work– you may have found yourself stuck in traffic wondering- “why isn’t there a traffic light here?!”

So here’s the break down! When determining if an intersection needs a traffic light, a study is conducted. During the study, there are eight “traffic volume warrants” or determining factors that are looked at. All of these combined could determine if a light is needed and will be installed or not. At least one of these needs to meet the study in order to have a traffic light installed. However just one- will not always mean a traffic signal is required to be built. It depends on the intersection and what the research shows.

Warrant 1 – Eight-Hour Vehicular Volume Warrant. The volume of the traffic on the major and minor streets entering the intersection must be above a certain number during an eight hour time period on a typical day.      

Warrant 2 – Four-Hour Vehicular Volume Warrant. The volume of the traffic on the major and minor streets entering the intersection must be above a certain number for a minimum of four hours on a typical day.      

Warrant 3 – Peak Hour Warrant. The minor street traffic for a facility that attracts or discharges large numbers of vehicles of a short time suffers major delay or exceeds a certain value for only one hour of an average weekday.

Warrant 4 – Pedestrian Volume Warrant. The volume of pedestrians crossing a major street exceeds a certain number.

Warrant 5 – School Crossing. At an established school crossing, a traffic signal can be placed if the frequency and number of adequate gaps in the vehicular traffic for the number of students to safely cross does not exist.

Warrant 6 – Coordinated Signal System. To maintain the proper grouping of vehicles and to effectively regulate the group speed.

Warrant 7 – Crash Experience. When less restrictive remedies and enforcement has failed to decrease the crash rate.

Warrant 8 – Roadway Network. To encourage concentration and organization of traffic flow on major streets.

Olivia’s Question

Chances are at some point when you’ve been driving around town there’s  been a street name that has made you stop and say “huh?” or maybe “hmm…”   Two of my favorites are “Soft Breezes” and “Pleasure Lane.” Yes these are real streets! I got an email from one of our loyal channel 8 viewers, 12- year old Olivia Vultaggio. Olivia says: “How do streets get their names?”

Melissa’s Answer: 

The City and County have different ways of naming the roads but for the most part have similar processes. Roads under the County’s jurisdiction are named by the developers who build the roads. They get to pick a name, almost anything they want, as long as it’s appropriate. Then an application is filled out and submitted. The application goes through different departments and to the Fire Alarm Office to make sure it’s a new name to Las Vegas. The naming of the road happens during the construction of the road. It is a simple process! That’s why we have some interesting street names around town!

Today’s Question:

A concerned citizen wrote me an email and says a street light is desperately needed near the community development at Angel Park Ranch. The email says: “We are located at Durango and Alta, but the light is needed at the park entrance of Durango and Venetian Strada.  It’s very busy and people speed at this end of Durango. It’s unsafe to access the park or our housing development!”

Melissa’s Answer:

I asked the City about getting a traffic light installed here. Authorities say they studied the intersection recently, but there’s not enough traffic to warrant a light. The good news is- developers for a project that is currently in the works at Rampart and Alta is committed to building a light near the area–if studies confirm one is needed. Once the project is finished traffic is expected to increase on Alta & Durango and that’s why a light would then be installed. The project has a ways to go. However, the light’s design is finished and has already been paid for.

* Although a light can’t be built at Durango and Venetian Strada as requested- once the light is built at Durango and Alta- traffic will improve tremendously in the entire area!

Beverly’s Question:

Beverly wrote in and wants to know why Las Vegas doesn’t have a truck route. She says: “There are many people & truckers who drive through Las Vegas to get to other destinations. It seems to me if there were a truck route for these drivers this would certainly help alleviate traffic on the 15 Freeway, especially with some of the H-O-V lanes currently under construction.” She also thinks  the 215 Freeway could be an option for one.

Melissa’s Answer:I thought this was an interesting question! Beverly makes a good point! California and other states on the west coast have them, so why wouldn’t we be a candidate for one? I asked the County and the Nevada Department of Transportation about this. Authorities say there’s never been a real need or enough demand for a route — plus there’s just not enough space in the valley to build one. Truck routes are designed around large urban cities to minimize traffic in its core. As Nevada continues to grow and develop– our construction projects will also progress and build roads to meet the demand. However until the city fully develops and reaches a capacity to where it needs one- there aren’t any plans to build one. As an extra tidbit, once the Hoover Dam overpass is finished next June- it will help reduce traffic congestion on the major commercial truck route between Phoenix and Las Vegas. At least truckers will soon have some relief on the commute, there!

Yolanda’s Question for the Southwest:  Yolanda wants to know if there are any plans to put  a traffic signal at the intersection of Rainbow and Patrick. She thinks with all of the traffic there-it can use one!  Yolanda says “I have been living in the Southwest for over 8 years and I’ve seen how it’s developed and how traffic has practically quadrupled during this time! There are now lots of commercial centers and residential areas and yet there doesn’t seem to be enough traffic lights in the area!”

Melissa’s Answer:  Yolanda is right- the Southwest is constantly growing. You know the old quote- “if you build it, they will come!” Obviously the roads did, but not the traffic lights! I asked the County about installing a traffic signal at Rainbow and Patrick. County officials said this intersection was recently studied for one, but doesn’t meet the requirements. In a traffic signal study,  different factors are  researched like the intersection’s speed limit, the amount of accidents that occur and traffic delays. The study needs to pass 8 check points or “warrants” to get the okay for one.  Unfortunately, Patrick at Rainbow didn’t pass. Another study will be done in the future as the area continues to grow. If that study shows a signal is needed, a plan and design will be made.

Howie wrote into Traffic8 and says the 215 is Driving Him Crazy!

Question: “I travel the I-215 Beltway in North Las Vegas every week and what scares me the most is from Aliante Parkway to the west side of the Beltway there’s two-way traffic, but there’s no center barrier. People drive over 65 miles per hour and it’s a big risk for head-on collisions. Can something be done to make it safe?!”

Melissa’s Answer:

I got in touch with the County and asked them about this. They said because the 215 was built in sections this, as well as many other portions of the 215, were initially built as “temporary” road designs. That’s why the speed limit is actually only 55 and there are no medians. The good news is there are plans to upgrade this area and make it a full- capacity freeway. Two projects are set to do road work from Tenaya Way to Decatur and Decatur to North 5th street. These projects will create new lanes, interchanges and include basic road touch ups. The only bad new is- these projects aren’t expected to start until next year. (Gulp!) Hang in there Northwest commuters!

Read on for What’s Driving Ann Crazy! Ann says it’s frustrating to make a left hand turn at the intersection of Grand Teton Drive and El Capitan! She lives in the area and says it’s become dangerous for pedestrians using the nonexistent crosswalks. Ann says: “why doesn’t this four-way stop have a traffic light instead of posted signs? A stop light would ease the congestion and make it safer for drivers and pedestrians.“ She’s also curious if there is any construction projects that could help her commute here. Melissa’s Answer: City Officials say this intersection was just studied last month for a traffic light but unfortunately, doesn’t have enough traffic to meet the requirements for one. That’s why there are signs posted there instead. As for Ann’s other question- there is a bridge project currently in the works that will connect Grand Teton between Fort Apache on the west and El Capitan on the east. Once this gets built it should help relieve congestion all along Grand Teton. The City is ready to build this but is just waiting for funding to do it.

John’s Question:  John wrote in and says he is baffled by a couple of signs at the intersection of the premium outlet mall! He says:                                                                                               
When driving south on Grand Central Parkway passing the outlet mall, there’s an intersection with a traffic light. There are two signs posted on the light pole, one says “no u-turns” and the other says, “no turns.” These signs would indicate that a right-hand turn into the outlet mall driving south where there is generally access to the parking garage would be illegal. John’s confused by these signs and he may not be the only one.Melissa’s Answer:I spoke to the City and they said the signs were meant to show drivers traveling south on Grand Central Parkway at the outlet mall -that there are no left turns and no u-turns allowed there. They weren’t meant to direct drivers who were trying to make a southbound right turn into the mall. City authorities say they understand why this may have caused confusion–with the signs sitting right next to each other. The city will now be removing them and just one sign will be placed letting drivers know that u-turns and left-turns are not allowed.