Laughlin’s the way to go

The opening of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge is fast-approaching, although a date has yet to be set. Transportation officials think it will be open to traffic within a week or so of the Oct. 16 Bridging America celebration. As construction crews finish the bypass bridge, motorists have had questions about how the continuing work will affect their commute.

Here is the latest from Nick: I'm driving to Las Vegas from Tucson, Ariz., on Friday. Can you tell me if we should plan to drive across the Hoover Dam or take an alternate route? The last time I drove that way, I got stuck crawling through the Hoover Dam for about two hours.

Nick, and everyone else out there who commutes between Las Vegas and Arizona, take an alternate route for the next three weeks or plan on doing a lot of crawling. Beginning today, the Arizona Department of Transportation will add the final touches on new lanes and begin paving 15 miles of Highway 93 in preparation for the opening of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge. Short and simple: It's going to be a mess.

The work will take place between
6 a.m. and 6 p.m., and during this period, traffic along the 15-mile stretch will be met with a flagger who guides alternating one-way traffic through the construction zone. Officials expect an hourlong delay, but anyone who has driven that route lately probably knows it could be far longer. The best advice is to go through Laughlin.

Bernie is blocked: How come there is an island right in the middle of the bike path crossing of Allen Street in North Las Vegas near the firehouse? It looks like at one time the island had an opening to allow bikes to cross on the Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail unimpeded. Now one has to ride around the island, creating a safety issue. Any information you can dig up would be appreciated.

I did some digging, and now, thanks to Bernie, the city of North Las Vegas will do some too. Unbeknownst to city officials, that median was not designed and constructed properly. Now that the public works folks know about the problem, they will remove the concrete, traffic engineer Ismael Garza said. The removal work is scheduled for Monday.

Rob has a two-part question: First, how soon before your driver's license expires can you renew it?

You can renew your driver's license anytime, and the new expiration date will become the date four years from the renewal date, said Tom Jacobs, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. That applies to motorists who visit the DMV in person. Renewing a driver's license early through the mail might get complicated by traffic citations, Jacobs said.

And, secondly: At what age do you need to provide the DMV with medical records to renew your license?

The magic age is 71. At that point, if you renew your license by mail, you must submit a document from a doctor that says you are fit to drive, Jacobs said.

Motorists who visit the office in person do not need the doctor's note because technicians behind the counter give everybody, regardless of age, a quick evaluation.

"Any technician has the ability to ask you the knowledge or skills test if they have reason to believe that you should be tested," Jacobs said.

Several readers have asked: If your vehicle has a handicap placard, does this allow the driver to park in a space marked "Van accessible?"

The answer to that is simple: Nope. Only disabled motorists' vans that have the equipment to unload wheelchairs are allowed to use those spaces.

Alan wants to see the lights: On Blue Diamond Road, are there any plans to install traffic signals at the intersections of Fort Apache Road and El Capitan Way?

Blue Diamond is always a tricky beast because the road is in the jurisdiction of the Nevada Department of Transportation, but the traffic signals are the responsibility of Clark County. In any case, Alan, both the county and NDOT looked into this, and neither could find any plans or proposals to put up signals at those intersections.

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