Sunset work open for bids

With all the work going on along Interstate 15 and the Warm Springs Road bridge being taken away from residents and commuters, readers have been wondering when they will benefit from the construction that has caused delays and inconveniences over the last several months. We'll lead off with the latest, only because I'm sure the answer will make a lot of folks happy.

Jackie questions when Sunset will be set: Taking Sunset Road to Valley View Boulevard doesn't do us in the area a lot of good. Are there plans in the near future to take it farther west, and in near future, I mean in the next couple of years?

While this won't appease the residents near Warm Springs, the extension of Sunset Road will definitely help that southwestern portion of our community. The bidding process is open to extend Sunset between Valley View and Decatur boulevards. County peeps tell me that construction should be under way in no more than 40 days. The entire project should be finished four months after it starts, so I'm estimating sometime in the late summer or early fall.

J. Lee can't take it anymore: Why are gas prices climbing every day when oil is going down? This is the second time in recent memory that gas prices have spiked for no apparent reason. I cant help but to feel like we are being gouged, again. Oil has dropped about $10 a barrel since this year's peak of $93 a barrel a month ago, but gas prices have risen 25-plus cents a gallon. If this trend continues I won't be able to afford to drive my car. I am almost there now, can't take it anymore!

Anybody who drives can relate to J. Lee's frustrations. Here is an explanation from Michael Geeser with AAA: The price of oil has been a roller-coaster ride with a barrel going for $90 for most of last year, the highest prices since 2008. Then on Monday the price of oil struck a 12-week low but bounced back up Tuesday.

The instability of oil prices is one element. According to Geeser, the other reason is that less product is moving out of California refineries, which every spring schedule maintenance to reformulate the blend of gas. Different blends of gas are made for summer and winter weather. The summer blends, for example, are treated so that the fuel evaporates at a slower pace.

Last week, Nevada's average gas price was $3.16 a gallon, a 4 cent increase from January. At this time last year, the average price in our state was $2.80. We are not alone; in 36 states, the average cost of gas per gallon exceeds $3. And for trivia sake, the highest price in the nation belongs to Wailuku, Hawaii, where the average price per gallon is $4.01.

Derek wants to know what's up with Russell Road: About five nights a week I travel west on Russell Road and turn left on Paradise Road to head into the airport tunnel. The road at the intersection of Russell and Paradise is extremely choppy and I can't help but wonder if it will ever be repaved or fixed. Do you know if there are future plans to repair that intersection?

This question also relates to that of Ralph, whose inquiry was about Russell and Swenson. So, Ralph, if you're out there, this serves as your answer too. A couple of years ago, McCarran International Airport tore up Russell and then repaved it. Then construction began on the new $2.6 billion international terminal at Russell and Paradise, along with a new networks of roads within the airport property.

The heavy equipment used to build the new terminal traveled Russell Road and Paradise/Swenson so frequently that the asphalt began to deteriorate. Chris Jones, spokesman at the airport, said that roads will be repaved as soon is all the work on the terminal is complete.

Brian doubts the DMV's wait times: I looked on the DMV's web site on Monday and saw that the wait time for the Sahara office was four minutes. After taking my number, I waited in line for an hour and they hadn't even gotten through half the numbers ahead of me. How are these wait times calculated?

The Department of Motor Vehicles has changed a few things in order to convenience customers. Two weeks ago, it did away with the information line and motorists who entered the offices instead took a ticket and a tip sheet to guide them through the process. Then, just this week, the wait times went up on its website, www.dmvnv.com.

Spokesman Tom Jacobs said the computer generated wait times should be from the time you take a ticket until your transaction is completed. The wait times are updated every 90 seconds. Based on Brian's account, the times are not always accurate. Jacobs said it is difficult to calculate because one minute an office can be empty and literally fill up the next. Like all technology, it will take some tweaking, but in the meantime, use the wait times as a rough estimate and at least be happy the division continues to work toward improving its customer service.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at (702) 387-2904, or send an e-mail to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Include your phone number.