Editorial: Unfinished road turns deadly

Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005 | 10:40 a.m.

The tragic deaths of two teenagers along an unfinished stretch of Interstate 215 raise an issue that should have been discussed before Wednesday's crash killed Centennial High School students Lindsey Nixon, 18, and Tiffany Howell, 15.

Nevada Highway Patrol officials have said speed was a factor when Nixon's car careened over the painted center lines and collided head-on with a pickup truck containing a teenage boy and girl. Those teens were treated at a local hospital and released.

The collision happened on a newer portion of the Las Vegas Beltway that is near Ann Road and has a posted speed limit of 55 mph. It has wide lanes and a banked curve that makes it look like an interstate but, because it is unfinished, lacks any center barrier other than paint.

NHP Trooper Kevin Honea, who drove the section of road Thursday, said if a driver looked away for even a few seconds or was going just fast enough to miss the curve "by even a foot," that motorist likely would head across the painted median area into oncoming traffic.

That section of the beltway isn't scheduled for completion until 2013 -- eight years from now. That means it may not have barriers or a wide, protective median until today's second graders are old enough to drive. That is too long to wait.

The beltway is an important component of our valley's overall transportation system, and those who rely on it are glad that access exists in any form. But parts of it look more like a runway than a road.

The Nevada Transporation Department and law enforcement officials are among the first to say that very wide swaths of asphalt encourage motorists to drive faster. When we add a tricky turn but fail to add freeway safety measures, such as a barrier or median, the mix can be deadly.

Teen motorists have less experience handling cars and tend to drive faster than those who have been driving longer. But highway patrol troopers have said excessive speed is a problem among motorists of all ages along that stretch. In addition to keeping motorists on their respective sides of the road, barriers or a raised median may make the road appear narrower and therefore slow drivers' speeds.

The area is one of the valley's fastest-growing, and some sort of highway was needed immediately. But if we are going to open partial freeways, we should include the safeguards that can help make these unfinished thoroughfares safe for those who drive on them right now. We shouldn't have to wait until people die to do something about safety.