Sunset Road plans on hold
This week readers want to know whether there are plans to connect Sunset Road to the Las Vegas Beltway in the southwest valley, whether Clark County will widen South Rainbow Boulevard, and why the dual left-hand turn lane at Sahara Avenue and Fort Apache Road has gone away.
Victor Grigoriev asks: Would you happen to know when Sunset will connect to the Las Vegas Beltway and open all the way from Rainbow to the Beltway? Are there any plans to widen Sunset?
On a personal note, I've always wondered why they didn't call the road Sunrise as you drive east. Rim shot?
Clark County wants to complete Sunset, which ends at Durango Road and starts back up west of the Beltway. But at this time there is no time frame for that to happen.
Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the county's public works department, said that when the road is completed, a widening plan will begin and Sunset will be a six-lane road.
According to the regional transportation plan, Sunset is slated to be a six-lane road from Fort Apache Road to Decatur Boulevard by the end of 2015.
But Shelton explained that it is rare that infrastructure is put in prior to development. Unfortunately there isn't a ton of development in that little niche.
"Of course, if development takes place quicker, then the roadway could be in place much sooner than the end of 2015," Shelton said.
Jeremy asks: Can you tell me when Rainbow Boulevard, south from Hacienda to the Beltway, will be widened and upgraded with more traffic control? Right now there are only four lanes with a center turning lane and only two signals -- one at Russell Road and one at Sunset. Traffic is at a constant flow making it difficult to make left turns.
The good news is yes, the county wants to widen that section of Rainbow, Shelton told me. But the good news, as often happens, is accompanied with bad news.
The bad news is there is no money for the widening.
Shelton said the county would like to complete the project within three years, but because the county needs federal money for the project it's going to take even longer, especially if there are any environmental issues or right-of-way issues.
So right now there are no specific plans in the works nor is there a time frame to complete it.
Bob McDonald writes: They recently installed two left-hand turn lanes on Sahara at Fort Apache. Then they came along and painted out one left-hand turn lane, making it unusable.
There's been a lot of work going on at that intersection. There were some power line issues that were being resolved for the past few months. That has finally wrapped up.
Now, the Las Vegas public works department wants to come back and resurface the streets, said spokeswoman Debby Ackerman.
The road improvements should begin by next week and finish by the end of May.
Ackerman said that when the road work is complete there will be dual left-turn lanes in all four directions.
Hit 'n' Run: Jeff Payne, the president and chief executive officer of Driver's Edge, wants to let folks know that their last Las Vegas event until October will be held the weekend of April 5-6.
Driver's Edge is a non-profit organization offering free educational programs for drivers 15-21 years old. The programs teach real-life emergency avoidance and response techniques and overall driver safety. Visit www.driversedge.org to learn more.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2904.
Tonopah Drive, between Bonanza Road and Washington Avenue, will be closed to through traffic for the next four weeks, with access maintained for residents, the Las Vegas public works department announced. The road closure is necessary as crews do street reconstruction. The traffic signals at the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Maryland Parkway will be out of service from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday as crews do maintenance work, the public works department announced. Las Vegas police will provide traffic control through the intersection. North Las Vegas will begin constructing a new fire station at 2804 Gowan Road, across from Desert Horizons Park, just east of Simmons Street. The $4.7 million project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Motorists should watch for street disruptions in the area because of the construction. The Regional Transportation Commission is holding a public information meeting tonight from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Springs Preserve, Dialog Center, Room C, 333 Valley View Blvd. The commission is seeking public input regarding Valley View Boulevard and what improvements folks would like to see made.
