Commuter hits the Bonanza Trail

Can you tell me what is going on along Westcliff Drive and Rainbow Boulevards? The cones and barrels seemed to go up overnight and traffic is backed up. What is up, and how long will it last?

Traffic on Rainbow between Alta Drive and Washington Avenue will continue to be a mess until the end of the month as the city of Las Vegas works on a pedestrian undercrossing beneath Rainbow. Lane closures typically occur in the overnight hours from Friday to Monday and April 15 to 18. Crews have to close the lanes in order to excavate a 50-foot-wide trench through Rainbow just north of Westcliff. When the arch is finished, it will be 200 feet long, 16 feet wide and 12 feet high.

This project is an important segment of the city’s improvements to the Bonanza Trail, which will complete the pathway from Durango Drive all the way downtown. The entire $4.9 million project, which is scheduled to be finished by July, also includes a pedestrian bridge at Decatur Boulevard, a bus turnout at Westcliff and Rainbow and new bike lanes. Funding was made available through the sale of public property by the Bureau of Land Management.

Betty wants some clarification: I can’t find an answer to this in DMV handbooks or online. At a green light that allows left turns after yielding to oncoming traffic, does one wait behind the line or pull into the intersection to wait for traffic to clear?

This, according to Kathy Kelly, owner of Safeway Driving School, is a very common question and a good one, too. States have differing laws and some require the motorist to pull into the intersection and proceed when ongoing traffic clears. Kelly said there is no such law in Nevada so drivers can either pull up or stay behind the line. Kelly said her instructors typically keep first-time drivers behind the line, but as a rule, motorists are taught to pull up.

“We do eventually want them to pull all the way up and give other drivers the courtesy of making the light as well,” Kelly said. “Otherwise, it makes other drivers very angry.”

Dave wants to get the message: Overhead (electronic) message boards seem to flash more off than on when a message is posted. Going into Boulder City at the speed limit, it is highly probable that you will miss the message. I may not care about a high wind warning, but I do care about an amber alert. It would be great if they could not flash at all.

Dave, representatives of the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST) insist the messages do not blink. If it is a short message, it will remain posted uninterrupted. However, what you might be seeing is a longer message that appears to blink when it continues on to the next segment of the announcement.

Tracy Bower, spokeswoman for the Regional Transportation Commission, said that new electronic message boards are going up on Highway 95 in the Henderson area, and when the operators are testing them, they might blink.

Ira asks: Can you tell me what is the purpose of the construction and lane closures on Sahara Avenue near Hualapai? The signs say the lanes will be closed for a year, but it doesn’t say what they are building.

Ira, that is part of the Regional Transportation Commission’s new Sahara Express line, which is similar to other express lines recently unveiled at Centennial Hills, Westcliff and soon-to-be Boulder Highway. The project costs $40 million and will run between Hualapai Way and Boulder Highway. There will be about 40 stops in each direction along the stretch.

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