Question:
I travel the Airport Connector to avoid some of the congestion on I-15, and noticed the lane striping badly needs attention. It’s faded out and hard to tell if you’re crossing into another lane. What can be done?
Gerald

Answer:
The striping gets taken off quickly on the Airport Connector. They just re-painted in July, but with heavy vehicles, and some 48 million annual passengers traveling this stretch- rutting happens quickly.

A major construction project begins today in the tunnel, and that means more heavy vehicles.

Don’t expect the striping to be clear and bold until the project is completed in summer, 2011.

The project is to improve roadway safety, and tie the tunnel into the terminal 3 roadway system.

If you, like Gerald, use the Airport Connector for a shortcut, that commuter convenience will be no longer, at least not until 2011.
Brian

Question:
I’m sure everyone has experienced the frustration of being stuck in the right lane when a bus stops and blocks all traffic. One stop, on Eastern Ave (S) just prior to the US 95 (N) on-ramp, is not just frustrating but downright dangerous! All traffic attempting to enter the freeway is forced to either wait behind the bus or swerve out around it. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
John

Answer:
The RTC installs bus turnouts wherever possible, for a greater buffer of one full lane between traffic and passengers.
Turnouts are required in new developments, but several areas of town, like Eastern & 95, were developed before transit service began in the valley. At the 95 & Eastern bus stop: there is not enough public right of way at this stop to allow for a bus turnout. The surrounding property is privately owned so a turnout is not possible in this location.
My advice to drivers: stop behind the bus the same way they would stop behind another vehicle at a red light.
Brian Loftus

Question:
WHY DOES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL ON TROPICANA (E) TO RAINBOW (N) ONLY ALLOW A MAXIMUM OF 3 CARS THROUGH THE INTERSECTION? THE THIRD CAR IS BASICALLY GOING THROUGH THE LIGHT ON YELLOW! THIS IS VERY FRUSTRATING FOR SUCH A BUSY INTERSECTION WITH TWO LANES TURNING LEFT.

Answer:
THE RTC IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL COORDINATION ON MAJOR INTERSECTIONS LIKE TROPICANA AND RAINBOW. IF IT’S AN ISSUE WITH TRAFFIC TIMING SYSTEMS, WHICH THIS SOUNDS LIKE, THEN RTC TAKES CARE OF IT.
IF IT’S NOT A TIMING ISSUE, AND IT’S JUST BROKEN, THAT’S A CITY OR COUNTY ISSUE.
INFLUNCED BY YOUR E-MAIL WANDA, RTC CHECKED OUT THIS SIGNAL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS I KNOW, WHAT THEY FOUND.
Brian Loftus

Question:
WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING, AND THE POSTED SPEED IS SAY 35 MPH…..AND AHEAD YOU SEE A SIGN SAYING IT IS 45 MPH. AT WHAT POINT CAN YOU SPEED UP TO THE NEW POSTED SPEED?
A. WHEN YOU FIRST SEE THE NEW SIGN AHEAD?
B. WHEN YOU ARE EVEN WITH THE NEW POSTED SPEED SIGN?
C. AFTER YOU PASS THE NEW POSTED SPEED SIGN?
SINCE I JUST GOT MY FIRST TICKET IN 67 YEARS, I AM MORE CAUTIOUS (GRIN) AND THIS IS AN ISSUE I DON’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE.
Wally

Answer:
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS “B”
WE TALKED TO NHP ABOUT THIS QUESTION AND IT IS THE ACTUAL SPEED LIMIT SIGN THAT MARKS THE START OF THE NEW SPEED ZONE.
Brian Loftus

VIEWER QUESTION:
DRIVING EAST ON FLAMINGO, BETWEEN I-15 AND LAS VEGAS BLVD, THE LANES ARE BADLY IN NEED OF REPAIR AND STRIPING. IT’S HARD TO TELL WHICH LANE IS WHICH – ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SUN IS RISING.

JoAnn

Answer:
THIS AREA IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. MANY HAVE VENTED ABOUT DRIVING FLAMINGO LATELY. THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THERE IS TO TO BURY OVERHEAD POWER LINES ON FLAMINGO FROM KOVAL TO I-15. THERE ARE THREE PHASES: TRENCHING ROADS, UNDERGROUND CABLING, AND TRANSMISSION-POLE REMOVAL.

GOOD NEWS IS THEY’RE FINISHING UP TRENCHING AND MOVING ONTO STAGE 2. THAT MEANS YOU WILL SEE THIS STRETCH IMPROVED BY SPRING, 2010. AS FAR AS THE STRIPING- THAT IS USUALLY ONE OF THE LAST THINGS COMPLETED, SO FOR NOW…

MY ADVICE TO ALL DRIVERS PASSING THROUGH THIS CONSTRUCTION AREA: SLOW DOWN! IT’LL BE MUCH EASIER TO SEE THE LANE LINES, THE WORKERS WILL APPRECIATE IT, AND EVERYONE WILL BE THAT MUCH SAFER

Paul is frustrated and wants to know why the crosswalk at Sahara Avenue and Orchard Valley Drive is so faded- it’s hardly visible!

Paul’s Question:
He writes: “With three elementary schools just around the corner, I would think that keeping this crosswalk looking bright, would be important! The crosswalk hasn’t been painted in two years! He says most parents use other routes to walk to school with their children, but the morning drive here is extremely busy and dangerous!”Answer:
I looked into this and found that this particular crosswalk is no longer maintained by the County or the City. The crosswalk has been left to “fade out” because the school boundaries were changed in July of 2007. The old designated school zone for this crosswalk was removed, and a new zone was made. As part of the changes, a traffic light was installed down the road at Sahara and Tree line, just north of Orchard Valley. The crosswalk at this intersection is now the primary route used for pedestrians to walk to school. It’s also the safest.
*Let me know What’s Driving YOU Crazy! traffic8@klastv.com

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.