Vehicle traffic on I-15 at Calif. border dips slightly

By Kyle B. Hansen (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 | 1:59 a.m.

Traffic volume on Interstate 15 at the California-Nevada line dipped slightly in August compared to July, but last month’s traffic was still higher than it was compared to last summer.

The Nevada Department of Transportation has about 100 automatic traffic recorders in the state that continuously collect data to create a monthly report. The report for August was released this week.

The month’s average number of vehicles on the interstate at the state line daily was 45,382, a 3.67 percent rise from August 2008 when 43,774 vehicles crossed the border.

That’s less than July 2009, when 46,558 vehicles traveled that stretch of road.

Most of the July-to-August change was on weekdays. The average weekday volume in August was 37,672; in July, it was 39,306.

Traffic volume on the weekend was virtually unchanged: 54,351 daily in July and 54,340 in August.

While traffic at the California border has been up all summer when compared to last year, traffic on I-15 in the Las Vegas Valley continues to drop.

At the Blue Diamond Road interchange of I-15, traffic was down 5.69 percent in August from the previous year. In 2009, the average daily volume was 98,143; in 2008, it was 104,067.

August’s traffic at Blue Diamond was also down from June, when it was 104,850, and July, when it was 102,783.

The drop in traffic has been even bigger at the Sahara Avenue interchange, the end of the express lane project that began last September.

In August 2009, the daily average on the freeway there was 229,427, a 12.5 percent drop from 2008 when it was 262,071.

In July 2009, the average daily volume at Sahara was 232,015 and in June it was 234,172.

Blasting to cause delays on U.S. 93 near Hoover Dam

Motorists traveling between Las Vegas and Phoenix may encounter some delays as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues work on U.S. 93 near the Hoover Dam.

Crews will be doing blast work again Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. about 15 miles south of the dam. Motorists should expect 30-minute delays during the blasting.

The U.S. 93 project will widen about 15 miles of the road near the dam before the opening of the Hoover Dam bypass late next year.

The project began in January on the road, which carries more than 14,000 vehicles each day.

Bus lane construction to close downtown intersection

Construction of new lanes on Casino Center Boulevard for the ACE rapid transit buses will temporarily close the road’s intersection with Bonneville Avenue.

The intersection is scheduled to be closed at 8 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday.

During the closure, traffic will be detoured off Casino Center at Garces and Clark avenues and traffic on Bonneville will be detoured at First and Third streets.

Motorists will still be able to access the parking garage for the Regional Justice Center and the Clark County Detention Center on Casino Center Boulevard.

The new lanes are being built for the Regional Transportation Commission’s new ACE rapid bus service, which will connect downtown with the Strip.

The service will use dedicated bus lanes on Casino Center and a new downtown transit center at the intersection of Bonneville and Casino Center.

Work on new traffic signal closes interchange

Installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Harris Avenue and Pecos Road will impact traffic Thursday.

Crews are scheduled to be working on the signal from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. From 10 a.m. to noon, Harris Avenue is expected to be closed from Pecos Road to Parkhurst Street.

While the road is closed, traffic will be detoured to Washington Avenue and Bonanza Road. Desert Pines High School will remain accessible via Sandhill Road.

The traffic signal installation is scheduled to be complete in late October.

I-15 express lane project closes freeway ramps

Work on the express lanes on Interstate 15 between the southern valley Beltway interchange and Sahara Avenue will close some ramps this week and next week.

Westbound Spring Mountain Road to I-15 southbound will be reduced to two lanes Thursday from 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for paving and striping work. The project widens ramp access from one lane to two.

The I-15 northbound Tropicana Avenue on-ramp and Flamingo Road off-ramp will be closed Tuesday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for striping work.

The I-15 northbound Flamingo Road on-ramp and Spring Mountain Road off-ramp will be closed Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for striping operations.

In addition, Industrial Road is reduced to one lane of travel in each direction under I-15 through September.