Awful truth about MLK widening

This week readers want to know the awful truth about the Martin Luther King Boulevard widening project and what the rules are for driving in the breakdown lanes on the right side of the road.

William Graydon asks: What's the story with the Martin Luther King Boulevard widening project? The City of Las Vegas Web site said the Alta Drive to Washington Avenue section would be done yesterday. As we can all see, that did not happen.

Well someone at the city needs to update their Web site, because the awful truth I've learned is that the widening project is now a full six months behind schedule and about $500,000 over budget.

That means the completion of the project, which would see Martin Luther King Boulevard widened from four travel lanes to six lanes for a 2.5 mile stretch from just north of Alta Drive to Carey Avenue, will not be finished until sometime next summer.

That's right: Summer 2010.

The project, being constructed by Wells Cargo, began in March 2008 and was supposed to be finished by the end of this year. It was also supposed to cost $45 million.

Reader complaints about the project most often focus on the interchange with U.S. Highway 95 and the fact that it's still not open.

The city had said it would be open this past June. Well that's not going to happen either, even though paving in front of the onramp and offramp is complete.

Debby Ackerman, a spokeswoman for the city, said the interchange won't be opened until Martin Luther King Boulevard between Alta and Bonanza Road are completely repaved.

"Instead of doing temporary openings and closings of the ramps, the two ramps will remain closed until all of the work in the vicinity of the ramps has been completed," she wrote in an e-mail.

Ackerman explained that the difficulty with opening the ramps now revolves around the grade differences between the newly paved part of the road and the existing road.

Over the next four months there will be a lot of paving work done under the U.S. 95 bridge, Ackerman said.

She said that work "should start in July."

My fingers are crossed, I suppose. It also means that when the work starts, "The Worst Intersection in Las Vegas," as I have previously dubbed Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bonanza Road, will only get worse.

You can expect more lane shifts and closures as the work proceeds.

Ackerman said the U.S. 95 interchange with Martin Luther King is "anticipated" to be open sometime between October and December.

The delays on the Martin Luther King widening project have grown increasingly outrageous. The traffic congestion at Bonanza and Martin Luther King is nearing scandalous. And the continued U.S. 95 interchange closure is so maddening to motorists that I half expect anarchy to ensue and drivers to physically remove the cones blocking the onramp and offramp.

No more delays are acceptable. The city needs to make sure the work gets done according to this latest time line.

A reader asks: How far is a driver allowed to drive in the breakdown lane?

I've been asked this question a number of times since becoming the Road Warrior.

It's also been the subject of debate in the Metropolitan Police Department, which asked the state Legislature to clarify the traffic law.

The Legislature obliged, passing Assembly Bill 417 which made changes to Nevada Revised Statutes 484.297 and 484.311. The changes, which go into effect today, prohibit motorists from driving on areas of the road which are not specifically designated for travel.

Police spokesman Bill Cassell explained that statute 484.297 will restrict the distance a motorist can drive in a breakdown lane to 200 feet or less and prohibits motorists from passing an intersection or driveway while traveling in the lane.

This is a common practice for some valley motorists who drive in the breakdown lane while trying to pass a line of stopped vehicles.

Cassell said the changes to statute 484.311 prohibit motorists from traveling outside of a marked travel lane and specifically addresses crossing the white lines that separate highway entrance and exit lanes from travel lanes.

Cassell said both changes are expected to help reduce crashes that occur in breakdown lanes.

Along with these changes, I would expect stepped up enforcement of the new laws within the coming weeks by police. So if this has been a practice for you, make note and adjust your driving habits.

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