Relief is on the way for freeway commuters in LV

Stephen Curran

Friday, June 11, 2004 | 8:23 a.m.

Representatives of the state Transportation Department on Thursday said a high-tech system would significantly improve on Clark County's freeways, which are not keeping up with growth.

The plan -- which would eventually include two kinds of digital signs, ramp meters and closed circuit cameras -- could lessen commute times on the Las Vegas Valley's traffic-clogged freeways up to 25 percent, said Frederick Droes, chief safety and traffic engineer for NDOT, at the Regional Transportation Commission's meeting Thursday.

The improvements are part of the Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation, a computerized system that is designed to smooth the flow of traffic throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

The Transportation Department oversees the freeway portion of the program and is slated to hand it over to the RTC on July 1. That date is when the RTC also is scheduled to take over the arterial system for surface roads and merge the two.

The two programs will be combined into a $4 million integrated traffic management facility on Sunset Road, expected to be completed in December, Droes told the commission. Having a central building would allow state engineers to monitor traffic patterns alongside the Nevada Highway Patrol, he said.

Having such a facility would also help Clark County update its outdated traffic management system to accommodate future growth, said Clark County Commissioner Chip Maxfield, an RTC board member.

"It's one of those things we need yesterday but we'll patiently wait for tomorrow," he said of the system.

Construction on the facility began in September 2003. A Web site with detailed maps of construction projects is also scheduled to be launched within a month, Sue Christiansen, a spokeswoman for the RTC, said.

The site will include current and future projects to help commuters plan their routes, she said.

The Transportation Department estimates that 770 traffic meters will ultimately be strategically placed on Interstate 15 and U.S. to prevent clogs on busy on ramps.

Long-term plans also call for heavily traveled stretches of U.S. 95 and Interstate 15 to be widened to accommodate carpool lanes similar to those in other similar-sized metropolitan areas.