Intersection work was delayed

This week readers want to know when the construction at Fort Apache Road and Sahara Avenue is going to wrap up and when the Warm Springs Road overpass at Interstate 15 is going to be redone. Also, the Road Warrior passes on some advice for commuters displaced by the I-15 North project and settles a bet worth a free car wash.

Neil asks when the work being done at Fort Apache Road and Sahara Avenue is going to be done.

I've addressed and readdressed this issue. And yet the construction never seems to go away.

This is the story I've been told: The project began last October, but was delayed due to cold temperatures at night. There is too much traffic during the day so the work has to be done at night, said public works spokeswoman Debby Ackerman.

Meanwhile, the Clark County Water Reclamation District decided the delay this winter was the perfect opportunity to jump in and do some work of its own. The city's work was delayed by this for about two more months, Ackerman said.

Now, finally, the fixing of this major intersection is back under way.

The work that remains is traffic loop installations and repaving, Ackerman said.

It is expected to be finished by late August or early September.

In the meantime, motorists can expect more lane restrictions in the coming weeks.

Norman Pullen asks when the construction will start on redoing the Warm Springs bridge over I-15?

Widening of the Warm Springs overpass is expected to begin next summer, said Bob McKenzie, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The estimated $22 million project entails widening the Warm Springs overpass and Warm Springs Road, between Dean Martin Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard, from two lanes to six lanes. The project will also include sidewalks and bicycle paths, McKenzie said.

The project would be part of the final phase of the Blue Diamond Road expansion that the Transportation Department has been working on for the past few years.

The one issue is that funding for next year's transportation projects has not been approved by the Legislature.

So who knows, with the budget shortfalls we've seen, whether the money will be available to do the work.

I-15 North follow-up

There has been heavy congestion on Martin Luther King Boulevard due to the construction on I-15 north of the Spaghetti Bowl, according to the folks over at the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation, or FAST, which oversees traffic flow on valley roads. There has also been an ongoing widening project on Martin Luther King, which is tying up traffic even more.

Officials urged commuters to try other routes, including Decatur Boulevard, Rancho Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Hit n' Run

D.H. from Henderson writes: A car wash hinges on your answer. When preparing to make a left hand turn at a yield-to-oncoming-traffic green light, is it legal to proceed into the intersection to await your opportunity to complete your turn? I say it's illegal. My boyfriend disagrees. Who has to wash whose car?

I'm usually very agreeable to women, just ask my fiancee: "Yes dear, I love these wedding invitations just as much as the other 643 you've shown me."

Unfortunately, D.H., I can't accommodate you this time. You'll have to get the rags and suds out and wash your boyfriend's car.

Clark County allows motorists to pull out into the intersection before turning left.

In fact, the 2007 state Legislature removed the ability for any municipality to make people wait behind a stop line when turning left. The idea was to get more vehicles through an intersection, thereby reducing air pollution and congestion.

The idea of not pulling into the intersection when turning left is one many driving instructors in the valley preach to their students. It's seen as a safety measure for inexperienced drivers.

Even though you lost this bet, it's fair game to spray your significant other with the water hose.

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.