Bus line construction will bring Sahara Avenue lane reductions

By Kyle B. Hansen

Monday, March 28, 2011 | 1:50 a.m.

Construction on Sahara Avenue for a new bus rapid transit line will affect traffic on the road beginning today, officials said.

Work on the Sahara Express bus line will include lane restrictions in the area between Rancho Drive and Decatur Boulevard, the Regional Transportation Commission said.

Work has been under way on Sahara between Boulder Highway and Las Vegas Boulevard since Feb. 7 and began Feb. 28 between Hualapai Way and Durango Drive.

Work will mainly occur between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Friday.

During the day, two travel lanes in each direction will remain open, but at night Sahara could be reduced to one lane each way, officials said.

Lane restrictions will remain in place for parts of Sahara until the project is completed early next year, officials said.

The RTC is adding a bus-only lane to the right shoulder of parts of Sahara Avenue for a new express bus line, similar to the one operating on Las Vegas Boulevard North in North Las Vegas and another under construction on Boulder Highway.

The new lane is being built in what is now the breakdown lane on the shoulder of the road, so when the project is finished, motorists will still have the same number of lanes as before.

To prepare for the new route, crews will be milling the top layer of Sahara, laying new asphalt and restriping the road. They will also be installing shelters at some bus stops and putting in landscaping in parts of the median and along some sidewalks.

The $40 million project is mostly funded by $34.4 million in federal stimulus money.