ROAD WORK AHEAD
■ The original access to U.S. Highway 95 from southbound Interstate 15 near the Spaghetti Bowl has been restored. The D Street onramp to southbound I-15 will open in October. The entire project will be completed in November.
■ Mohawk Road between Lake Mead Parkway and Galleria Drive in Henderson will be closed Monday through Sunday. A portion of Mohawk will be renamed Cadence Crest and align with Water Street and open Aug. 25.
■ Traffic diverted to a single lane on Fort Apache Road between Elkhorn Road and the 215 Beltway. The 1-mile project will continue a block at a time from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. through mid-November.
■ Traffic altered on Flamingo Road between Grand Canyon Drive and Jimmy Durante Boulevard through Sept. 12 for a two-year project to relocate utilities, add transit lanes and shelters, upgrade signals and improve pedestrian crossings on Flamingo.
■ One-lane closures on Kyle Canyon Road from mile marker 15 to mile marker 21 through summer.
■ Disruptions on I-15 near Silverado Ranch Road and St. Rose Parkway through fall.
■ Intermittent lane closures on Rancho Drive between Sahara Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard through November.
■ Eastbound lanes on Rue de Monte Carlo near Las Vegas Boulevard South closed through Dec. 31.
■ Intermittent lane closures planned on Whitney Ranch Drive from Russell Road to Arroyo Grande Boulevard through December.
■ Intermittent lane closures planned on Eastern Avenue from Coronado Center Drive to Silverado Ranch Boulevard in Henderson through December.
■ Intermittent lane closures planned on Warm Springs Road from Arroyo Grande Boulevard to Boulder Highway in Henderson through December.
■ Traffic delays likely on 26 miles of northbound and southbound Interstate 15 between mileposts 69 and 95 through early 2015.
■ Lane closures on Main Street to turn Main and Commerce streets into one-way pairs through the end of 2015.
■ Lane restrictions on Rainbow Boulevard from Ann Road to Tropical Parkway through the end of the year.
■ Lane restrictions on Grand Teton Drive between Durango Drive and Rainbow Boulevard through May 2015. GASOLINE PRICES
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $3.73 per gallon. It was $3.76 in Nevada. The national average of $3.46 is down 1 cent from a week ago, down 14 cents from a month ago and down 7 cents from a year ago.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
are present.’ Does that apply only during school hours?”
I bounced the question off Nicole Santero, a spokeswoman for the district, and trooper Loy Hixson of the Nevada Highway Patrol. Their answers were almost exactly the same.
School zone signs apply even after the hours when classes presumably are out of session when they use that “when children are present” wording.
I’m not crazy about the wording for another reason: Some pedestrians near schools probably aren’t children, yet I still feel compelled to slow down for them.
“People should slow down even outside of traditional school hours for a few reasons,” Santero said. “Many of our schools are adjacent to parks, and people often congregate around parks even when school isn’t in session.
“There are also sports and other school events going on at the school after hours, so it’s a good idea to slow down,” she said.
“It’s better to err on the side of caution,” added Hixson. “There’s nothing negative about taking a little bit of extra time. It’s easier to save a life than it is to bring one back. I tell people to drive with the same caution they would use if it was your child or your family member walking in the area.”
So I’ll drop this note into the school district’s suggestion box: Change the signs to say, “School zone. Speed limit 25 mph when pedestrians are present.”
Santero said the most frequently abused school zones in the valley are the ones on busy streets where the speed limit dips quickly from 35 or 45 mph to 15 or 25.
She cited West Desert Inn Road, between Arville Street and Decatur Boulevard, home of Cashman Middle School. Another busy street with a zone: around North Eastern Avenue and Ogden Avenue, near Sunrise Acres Elementary School and Martin Middle School.
And another: North Martin Luther King Boulevard near West Carey Avenue, home to Booker Elementary School.
And from another Warrior reader, here’s another suggestion I received via phone rant: Parents, please teach your kids proper pedestrian behavior when they use the crosswalks. Nothing aggravates motorists more than kids who spread out their group and saunter across the street knowing that they are blocking traffic.
Yes, you have the right of way in the crosswalk. Yes, we’re braking and waiting for you. But give a little courtesy to the motorists and show us a little of that youthful energy when you cross the street. Your good behavior will prevent road rage. BRIDGE OPEN
Not long ago, Warrior reader Ali asked when the East Sahara Avenue bridge over the Las Vegas Wash at the Desert Rose Golf Course would be open. It’s open! As of Saturday. But the asterisk is that only two of four lanes are usable. Until the flood-control project that involved lengthening the bridge is complete, there will be only one lane of traffic in each direction. MORE BRIDGES OPEN
The Arizona Department of Transportation announced last week that three bridges in the Virgin River Gorge have been completed, and traffic zones on Interstate 15 in Arizona have been removed.
There’s still one more bridge — the second one in the canyon as you arrive from Nevada — that needs major work and will have a construction zone through 2016. The girders, deck and railings will be completely rebuilt at the bridge at Milepost 16, about 20 miles south of St. George, Utah.
Now if only we could get that 26-mile stretch of I-15 in Nevada near Glendale and Moapa done. It’s scheduled for completion in November. Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter @RJroadwarrior.