Road construction continues despite economic downturn

By Jenny Davis, Jeff Pope

Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 | midnight

Construction of new homes and resorts may have slowed down, but road work in Las Vegas continues to boom.

A number of road construction projects will be finished in Summerlin and west Las Vegas before the end of the year, just as a few others get started.

The Las Vegas Public Works Department is installing traffic signals at the intersection of Tenaya Way and Gowan Road and at Alexander Road, causing closures to one lane in each direction on Tenaya at various times during the construction. Also, traffic slowdowns will be caused by road improvements along Tenaya between Cheyenne Avenue and Alexander including curb, gutter and sidewalks. The $1.3 million project is planned for completion in April and is on schedule, Public Works spokeswoman Debbie Ackerman said.

Craig Road and Cheyenne are suggested for east-west travel. Buffalo Drive is suggested as an alternate route when traveling north and south.

Separately, Las Vegas traffic crews recently turned on new traffic signals at the intersection of Lake Mead and Thomas W. Ryan Boulevards as flashing red all-way stops.

The signals will be put into full green-amber-red mode when Clark County opens the Lake Mead ramps at the 215 Beltway. The interchange was tentatively scheduled to open Nov. 26.

Also, because of work by NV Energy to bring power to the Queensridge development, Alta Drive will be closed to one lane at times between Durango Drive and Rampart Boulevard. The project is planned for completion by Dec. 2.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District also is working on a project at Rampart. The project was originally planned for completion on Nov. 15, but plans have been extended for at least a few months, Ackerman said.

At Oakey Boulevard between Rainbow Boulevard and Tenaya, a storm drain is being installed by the city. The work will cause temporary lane closures in both directions. The project is planned for completion in January.

Sahara Avenue and Charleston Boulevard are suggested as alternate routes for east-west travel. Rainbow and Buffalo are suggested as north-south alternatives.

With the new year comes a new project that will affect West Valley travelers.

Construction on a bridge to span Summerlin Parkway at Tenaya is scheduled to begin in January and take 10 months to complete.

The Tenaya overpass bridges Washington Avenue and Westcliff Drive and is intended to relieve north-south traffic on Buffalo and Rainbow.

The bridge will cause some disruptions on Summerlin Parkway, though the details are being worked out, Ackerman said.

The bridge is being built the same time as the Bonanza Trail — a 1,350-foot pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under the new overpass.