Orange cones in road construction zones mean drivers should slow down

Since starting this gig last month, Road Warrior has heard too many readers and co-workers cracking jokes that Nevada’s state flower is the orange traffic cone.

Given the numerous roadway projects under construction in the Las Vegas Valley, that might be a lot more appropriate than the sagebrush.

Street and highway improvements are springing up across the region, ranging from minor asphalt repairs to new freeway bridges on the 215 Beltway and the massive $1 billion reconfiguration of the Spaghetti Bowl, known as Project Neon.

So, it bears repeating: Drivers must slow down when they see orange cones in these construction zones. Yes, for all of them. Be patient.

Paul from North Las Vegas said he’s spotted signs on the Beltway near North Decatur Boulevard, warning that fines could be doubled for motorists who speed through construction zones. He wanted to know whether those increased penalties would apply when workers aren’t around.

Yes, Paul, you can get slapped with a double penalty citation even if you think there isn’t any work going on, trooper Jason Buratczuk of the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Technically, construction zones are active when workers are present, and also when traffic patterns are restricted or shifted. Buratczuk warned that the reduced speed limits are always in effect until the project is completed and the area is reopened to free-flowing traffic.

Drivers could face fines up to $1,000 for speeding in a road construction or maintenance zone, according to the Nevada Transportation Department.

SCHOOL ZONES

School’s out for the summer, but Coleen from Las Vegas wants to know why a set of yellow lights is still flashing at Anasazi and Oxford Cross drives to warn drivers about children who might be walking in the neighborhood.

“My issue is that it flashes all day, every school day … and you have to slow down,” Coleen wrote in an email. “I hardly think this is fair, and the lights should only flash and be obeyed during times children might be heading to or from school.”

Unfortunately, Coleen, the yellow warning lights can’t be adjusted. The flasher’s operation is required by state law, aimed at protecting students who attend Bonner Elementary School and Rogich Middle School, Las Vegas spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said.

Therefore, you’ll have to find an alternate route or keep slowing down when the yellow lights are programmed to flash intermittently, from 7:10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

“These times are not arbitrary by the school district or the city of Las Vegas,” Kurtz said.

AIRPORT ALERT

Drivers should expect delays getting to and from McCarran International Airport for the next few weeks, as construction crews work intermittently on the ramps linking the eastbound 215 Beltway and the Airport Connector.

Traffic headed east on the Beltway won’t be able to exit Sunset Road from midnight to 5 a.m. June 27 and 28 and July 1 and 8, Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.

Drivers might want to take Russell Road or Tropicana Avenue at the airport’s north end as an alternate route. Traffic on the westbound Beltway won’t be affected.

The closures are part of a larger $52.5 million project that calls for building a flyover ramp and bridge connecting the southbound Airport Connector to the eastbound Beltway and widening the offramp from the eastbound Beltway to Warm Springs Road, Kulin said.

Construction is expected to finish by fall 2017. The project also calls for building a bridge at the Warm Springs off-ramp and widening a bridge for traffic using the westbound Beltway over the Airport Connector.

CUTE COYOTES

Has anyone else noticed the adorable coyotes that appear to be howling from the median along West Ann Road, just east of Bradley Road? Barb, who lives near the Los Prados Golf and Country Club, did. She wanted to know where she could buy one of the metallic street ornaments — or perhaps have one made.

Just like the real thing, you can’t take these coyotes home, Barb. The roadside figures were crafted by staffers working for Las Vegas, and they’re are not available for sale or custom orders, Kurtz said.

However, Kurtz said that the city workers enjoy hearing that residents admire and appreciate the public artwork.

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