Drivers going to and from the coast really get runaround

Every once in a while we hear from residents of Southern California who have questions about their freeways, and because many of them affect Las Vegans who also travel to Los Angeles or San Diego frequently, I don't mind dipping across the border to find the answers. Note: If you are a Dodger fan traveling to Chavez Ravine, this is not meant to help you.

Eileen asks: For the past 13 of the 14 years that I've been driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, I took Interstate 10 east to Interstate 15 north. About a year ago, without any explanation that I can find, I have to take Interstate 10 east to State Route 60 east to Interstate 605 north to Interstate 210 east to Interstate 15 north to get to Las Vegas and then reverse the process to return to Los Angeles. Can you tell me why this change in route has occurred and for how long it will continue?

Go on back to your old route, Eileen. According to the California Department of Transportation, the interchanges from Interstate 10 to Route 60 and to Interstate 15 were closed periodically during weekends during the past year. They called these "55-hour closures" because they lasted all weekend, which sounds like a complete nightmare. The folks at CalTrans said the work has been done and the interchanges open for several months. Still, just for your information, they also told me that your new route is probably faster because Interstate 210 is a wider freeway and less likely to be congested. Happy travels.

Geri is wondering about Vegas Drive: Is anyone in the City of Las Vegas aware this street still exists? It is so full of potholes, ridges, bumps and humps, it is becoming impossible to drive on this street without damaging your tires or having to have the front end of your vehicle realigned. Is this street being considered a depressed area and being written off the books?

Good news for you, Geri. Jorge Cervantes, chief of the city's Public Works Department, said his crews are gearing up to rip out all the pavement between Rancho Drive and Michael Way and replacing it with a fresh layer.

The work is more involved than simply repaving; a storm drain will be installed, and the sewer lines will be replaced as well.

Over the past decade, the city has repaved Vegas from Rainbow east almost reaching Decatur, and it was reconstructed between Martin Luther King and Rancho. The section now set to be fixed was delayed after the city learned of the sewer project. It did not want to spend money on repaving the road only to see it dug up again.

The latest project is scheduled to be put out to bid in October, and work is set to start in December or January.

It is unclear how long the project will take, but the work is similar to what happened on Oakey Boulevard near Rancho not long ago. If you ask the folks in that area, the answer probably would be "an eternity."

Hugh has a quick question. Are handicapped persons displaying a handicap plate allowed to park on metered streets without slugging the meter?

Hugh, this all depends on the jurisdiction. There is nothing written in state law that allows drivers with disabled persons placards to park for free. However, the city of Las Vegas has had a long-standing rule that allows motorists with disabled plates or placards to park at a meter for up to four hours without paying.

The only language addressing those exempt from parking meter fees is in NRS 482.377, and that law says that veterans with special license plates issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles do not have to feed the meter.

Give Carol shelter: I ride the bus all over town, and I've noticed that some nice new bus stops that actually provide shelter have been installed recently. But it seems to me that in the older parts of town, we are left with a bench, if that. Why are they only putting these bus stops in the nicer areas?

Actually, according to the Regional Transportation Commission, the location of the new bus shelters depends on the space allowed on the sidewalk. It would make sense that Carol doesn't see as many of them in older parts of town because it seemed that engineers back in the day never gave a second thought about bus shelters or landscaping when designing the road or, in some cases, the streets have been widened, leaving narrow sidewalks.

The commission has added about 150 new shelters.

The sidewalks must be wide enough to accommodate not only the shelter but also provide enough room for a disabled person to get by in a wheelchair. No thought is given to whether a neighborhood is old or new; it is all based on space.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.