Bumper stickers shocking
The Department of Motor Vehicles has had its battles with motorists who sport vanity plates. The agency can refuse to issue plates it deems inappropriate, although, as we saw last summer, the decisions of DMV officials sometimes can be overturned. But what's the deal with bumper stickers?
• A woman is frustrated with her potty-mouth neighbor: My neighbor has two totally obscene bumper stickers (both of which include the F-bomb). Even my 8-year-old granddaughter is appalled. I'd really appreciate any help you can give me in getting this smut off our little cul-de-sac.
This is an interesting issue that has been debated across the country. Several states have laws prohibiting motorists from affixing stickers with profane or lewd language on their vehicles.
Although law enforcement has tried to enforce the regulations, higher courts have found such laws to be unconstitutional. It boils down to freedom of speech versus public obscenity.
I was unable to find any such obscenity laws in Nevada's statutes. And according to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Clark County code enforcement and Las Vegas police, it boils down to a freedom of speech issue, and there is little anyone can do if the message is offensive.
• William and Carolyn both want to know what is up with the intersection of Alta Drive and Rampart Boulevard: They put up restrictions in both directions, and then the machinery sat there for almost a month before anything was done. Now it looks like the pipes are done and work has once again stopped.
The Clark County Water Reclamation District is moving 1,000 feet of 36-inch pipeline from a chunk of private property near Alta.
The pipeline was installed in the 1980s and was expected to run beneath what eventually would become Rampart, until Rampart was realigned. Now that the private property is being developed, the district must move that pipeline.
But back to the question. The contractors have run into obstacles, one being that the pipeline was 25 feet underground and required quite a bit of excavation, according to district spokesman Bronson Mack. He said the project should be finished and the barricades cleared by the end of the month.
There might be some overnight lane restrictions after that as a median is restored and street lights are installed.
• Stephen asks: In North Las Vegas, a block stretch of North Pecos Road, just south of Washburn (at the south-east corner of Shadow Creek Golf Course) has been blocked off for about two years now. There's no sign of construction, nor any other apparent reason for the closure. Any explanation?
You're right on your timing, Stephen. North Pecos in that location was closed in July 2007 and is not likely to reopen anytime soon. The reason is the southeast corner is owned by a private developer and the city cannot secure enough right-of-way to allow room for northbound traffic on Pecos to reach Washburn.
Also, the southeast chunk of private property is at a higher elevation. So, even though that intersection is an all-way stop, it could be dangerous because of visibility problems.
Once the development on the southeast corner is completed, the city will re-evaluate the intersection to determine whether it can secure right-of-way for Pecos.
• Another reader asks: When will Durango Drive (between the Las Vegas Beltway and Russell Road) be finished?
Durango, not to be confused with Decatur Boulevard, is expected to be finished in March or April.
If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 387-2904, or e-mail her at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com or apacker@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.
Summerlin Parkway will be closed in both directions between U.S. Highway 95 and Buffalo Drive during overnight hours Friday through Monday. Construction hours are from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The westbound flyover that connects U.S. 95 north to Summerlin Parkway west also will be closed.
During the closure, motorists traveling from northbound U.S. 95 to Summerlin Parkway may want to use the Rainbow Boulevard southbound exit to westbound Westcliff Drive, to northbound Buffalo, to westbound Summerlin Parkway.
Motorists traveling eastbound on the Summerlin Parkway to northbound U.S. 95 may want to use the Buffalo northbound exit to Lake Mead Boulevard eastbound. Motorists traveling from the Summerlin Parkway to southbound U.S. 95 may want to use the Buffalo southbound exit to eastbound Westcliff to northbound Rainbow.
Throughout the week, road work will continue along Flamingo Road during overnight hours, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The installation of underground utility lines will affect traffic in eastbound and westbound lanes just west of Via Del Norte (just west of Las Vegas Boulevard) between Audrie Street and Koval Lane. It will also cause lane restrictions east of Koval.
Aside from the expected delays, the work will affect parking. The westbound parking lane immediately east of Koval will be closed from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.
As always, entrances to hotels and other properties along Flamingo will be open during construction hours.
Oakey Boulevard will be closed to westbound traffic between Western Avenue and Rancho Drive from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The closure will remain in effect until further notice as crews install concrete flood control boxes. At Western, traffic will be detoured to northbound Wall Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard to Charleston Boulevard. The alternate route to the south is from Western to Scotland Lane to Highland Drive to Sahara Avenue to Rancho. Eastbound traffic on Oakey will be reduced to one lane.
Lane restrictions also will be in effect downtown, where crews are installing and upgrading the power infrastructure on Main and First streets. The work is taking place on Main Street between Boulder and Clark avenues and on First Street between Coolidge Street and Gass Avenue. Crews are working on Coolidge and Gass between Main and First, and west of Main near Clark all the way to the Las Vegas Symphony Park development site.
During construction, which will occur day and night, Main will narrow to one lane in each direction, which means parking on the street in work zones will be temporarily unavailable.
Casino Center Boulevard will be closed between Charleston Boulevard and Bridger Avenue through December. Casino Center also will be closed between Charleston and California Street on Thursday while paving work is done.
