From Azure to Lamb, desert strip to remain

This week readers want to know when Azure Avenue will go west all the way through to Lamb Boulevard; whether Clark County plans on putting up street lights on the western Las Vegas Beltway; and how to get on Interstate 15 north from U.S. Highway 95.

Frank A. Rigoni asks: There is about 300 feet of unpaved road that would connect Azure to Lamb. The city has installed a traffic light (which seems illogical at this point) but you cannot use that part of the road. So how long will they take to complete this?

Right now there are no plans to pave this section of Azure, said Robert Rixford, senior engineer for the North Las Vegas public works department.

Rixford explained that typically in North Las Vegas, street improvements are made by private developers looking to construct new projects.

Right now there are a couple of developers who have expressed interest in the land at Azure and Lamb, but there is no project set for construction.

It appears that until a private developer moves forward with a project this section of Azure will stay a piece of desert.

In somewhat related North Las Vegas news, the $44.5 million project to construct a bridge over the train tracks at Lamb was completed and nearby residents can now exit I-15 at Lamb and head north and avoid all the construction on Craig Road.

The completion of that project will bring relief to many North Las Vegas residents who live in that developing section of the city.

Rich Williams asks: Do you know if Clark County will be putting street lights on the western Beltway? Lights are in the center medians up to about Tropicana Avenue, but the medians from there to the Cheyenne Avenue overpass near Summerlin don't appear to have them or are set up for them at a later date? What's going on? It is really dark up there.

No lights for you!

Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the county public works department, confirmed that there are no plans to install high-mast lighting on the Beltway, between Tropicana and Cheyenne.

The county was asked by area residents and Summerlin developers during the public hearing process not to install the lighting, Shelton said.

The county obliged.

Shelton said the same will be true for the Beltway from Lone Mountain Road to Decatur Boulevard.

When the county conducted public meetings for that section, residents also requested that the lighting be limited, Shelton said.

The residents "are wanting to maintain the area's rural environment," he said.

Shelton said headlights should be enough to clearly illuminate the road if motorists drive at a "safe and reasonable speed."

A reader asks: How do I get on I-15 north from U.S. 95 now that the onramp at Washington is closed?

The onramp from U.S. 95 to I-15 north has been closed for some time for the Nevada Department of Transportation's ongoing $240 million I-15 north widening project. Until this week, motorists were exiting U.S. 95 and heading north on Las Vegas Boulevard and then west on Washington to head north on I-15 as an alternate route.

But the Washington onramp was closed this week and will not reopen until February.

Bob McKenzie, a transportation department spokesman, said there are a few other alternate routes that motorists should consider.

Motorists can take Las Vegas Boulevard north and head west on Lake Mead Boulevard, Cheyenne Avenue, or Craig Road or head north on Lamb Boulevard to find an onramp to northbound I-15.

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