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Dec. 21, 2008
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ROAD WARRIOR: Snow made drivers fume

ROAD WARRIOR
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The eastbound onramp to the Las Vegas Beltway from south Decatur Boulevard will be closed to traffic from 9 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday. And each night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. this week the eastbound Beltway, near south Decatur, will be reduced to one lane. These closures and lane restrictions are needed as crews restripe that section of the Beltway as widening work nears completion.

The Nevada Department of Transportation announced the following updates on the ongoing $240 million Interstate 15 north widening project:

•The southbound Interstate 15 offramp to Cheyenne Avenue will be closed through February beginning at 9 tonight.

•D Street will be closed to traffic under Interstate 15, from 9 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday for a deck pour.

•Truck traffic seeking to go north on Interstate 15 from U.S. Highway 95 will be diverted off U.S. 95 at Eastern Avenue. Trucks will be directed north on Eastern and then east on Washington Avenue and then north on Lamb Boulevard and onto I-15 north. This detour will be in effect for the next three months.

•Workers will be installing an overhead vehicle warning system at D Street and Interstate 15 through March. Trucks over the height of 14 feet, 8 inches will not be able to pass under I-15 there.

Motorists should watch for lane shifts and posted detours and use extreme caution in work zones.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL


Vehicles line southbound Interstate 15 near Primm Thursday. I-15 was closed south of the state border becuase of Wednesday's snowstorm.
Photo by Gary Thompson.

What a mess.

That phrase sort of summed up the commute Wednesday evening as Las Vegas got pounded with 3.6 inches of slushy snow.

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    • And in the face of Mother Nature's cruel joke -- snow in a desert -- Las Vegans did not react well.

    Quiet, dignity and grace were not to be seen. Impatience, anger and frustration prevailed among motorists.

    The impertinence of drivers seemed directed at authorities, whether law enforcement or public works crews.

    "Why did they close the road to Parhump?" one reader seethed to me on the phone.

    And how about that four-hour ride on Eastern Avenue, from Interstate 215 to Anthem Parkway?

    Another reader regaled me with a tale about how Nevada Highway Patrol troopers closed U.S. Highway 93 to Boulder City for hours because of the storm.

    His wife was forced to "pee in a cup," the reader said.

    In the face of the type of storm that comes through the valley once every three decades or so, local officials defended their actions.

    The Transportation Department had 13 snow plows and sanders working to clear roads and spread 1,800 yards of a sand-salt mix over mountain roads, more than half of the yearly supply allocated to Southern Nevada.

    Was it enough?

    I think it's fair to say that local snow clearing equipment was stretched thinner than Napoleon's army during his Russian invasion.

    Rudy Malfabon, the Transportation Department's deputy director for Southern Nevada, said the storm "hit bad on the south end of town and a lot of folks probably took chances and were frustrated with the road conditions. We tried to cover everything as best we could. We couldn't be everywhere at once."

    The department borrowed equipment from Ely and Tonopah; but the storm soon hit regions north of the valley, and that equipment was recalled.

    The situation in Boulder City seems to have caused the most complaints.

    Malfabon explained the driving conditions were hazardous because of reduced visibility and slippery roads because of the constant snowfall. And it was easier to plow U.S. 93 when a lot of vehicles weren't backed up on the roadway, he said.

    Though some Boulder City locals were allowed to push on through to their homes, the Transportation Department felt it would be unsafe to let motorists travel on to Arizona. So the number of motorists allowed on U.S. 93 was limited, Malfabon said.

    Trooper Kevin Honea of the Nevada Highway Patrol told me officers "got called some not so nice names" during the storm.

    Motorists stuck on U.S. 93 or down in Primm on Interstate 15 seemed to spit out the most venomous phrases, Honea said, though he would not go into specifics.

    It wasn't the Highway Patrol that ordered the roads closed, but troopers still bore the brunt of criticism.

    "It's never easy or pleasant to have to tell someone they can't drive to their home," he said. "But our overall goal was the safety of everyone on the road."

    Bobby Shelton with the Clark County Public Works Department said the storm could have been a nightmare scenario.

    Let's face it, we live in a desert climate and not a lot of money is invested in snow removal equipment, Shelton said.

    "We have two snow plows, two snow blowers and two graders," Shelton said. And most of that equipment was stuck up at Mount Charleston, Cold Creek and Columbia Pass, he said.

    "We wanted it to continue snowing. If it turned to rain and then to ice ... it would have been much worse. With 3 to 5 inches of snow, we knew Mother Nature would take care of it pretty quickly" once it warmed up, Shelton said.

    In the meantime, despite the complaints, Malfabon said his crews handled the situation as well as they could.

    "Thankfully, this doesn't happen too often," he said.

    If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 387-2904, or e-mail him at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com or fmccabe@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.

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    Jon wrote on December 21, 2008 08:37 PM: As a current Vegas resident who grew up in snowstorms MP, I am glad that you and your smug self are out of this town. Because if it's one thing we need less than bad drivers it's arrogant useless people like you.And your passive aggressive politeness, nice touch.


    MP wrote on December 21, 2008 06:04 PM: AS a former las vegan, 40 years worth, it's interesting to know that some things never change, rain or shine, snow or dust storms, vegans can't drive.
    I am glad i live where in snow storms, drivers are actually more polite, imagine that vegas.......good luck.


    fym wrote on December 21, 2008 06:01 PM: Here in Iowa we had 1 inch of sleet and the streets became glare ice no problem here going up a hill. If you stop on ice and a hill your screwed, you must keep it going. All you 4x4s many have been in the ditch during these times here and i laugh my arse off. Ice is no ones friend but treat it right and you have no problem. Us in Iowa laughed our arses off when we heard Vegas was shut down on 3 inches of snow.


    Don't kill the messenger: wrote on December 21, 2008 05:37 PM:
    There is a lot of simpletons living in Vegas. Go by one of those local casinos on Friday night, there you will find all you can handle and then some.


    Joe Bama wrote on December 21, 2008 03:43 PM: Why did they close the road to Pahrump? To keep idiots who can't drive when the sun is shining and the road is clear from killing somebody that's why!!


    Tony wrote on December 21, 2008 02:57 PM: Casinocon: I've worked in gaming for 21 years, so far, and I'm not rich. The worst vehicle I've ever driven in snow was a rear wheel drive 2WD truck without extra weight in the back. It still did way better than what I saw. Throw a little weight in the back of the truck and it works pretty good. Just make sure the extra weight can't move or shift around.

    There are hills all through the valley. I would've done anything to avoid Bonanza hill (between Eastern and Maryland), either direction.

    TimeRanger: Feathering the brakes is the way to go (pun intended). This works great on any vehicle, but they also need to ease into the accelerator. I saw people clearly stabbing the accelerator trying to move.

    Also if the vehicle is still not moving after feathering the brakes, add a couple quick left, right inputs on the steering wheel to try and clear build-up away from the front tires and allow them to start rolling.


    TimeRanger wrote on December 21, 2008 12:52 PM: There IS a little trick to get rear-wheel-drive vehicles going....When one wheel starts spinning, just apply a *little* pressure to the parking/emergency brake...this will stop the spinning wheel and the differential will apply equal torque to both drive wheels.


    casinocon wrote on December 21, 2008 11:26 AM: A small front wheel drive vehicle if driven correctly is your best bet for getting up a hill in the snow. Even acceleration is the ticket, and don't stop, or you will lose your momentum. Trucks with rear wheel drive are disasters. Of course, all you rich folks in Anthem get what you deserve for living in the hills to begin with. No problemo in the flatlands -- all us poor folk, including the unemployed had no where to go and all day to do it. Snow is fun!


    Traffic Cone wrote on December 21, 2008 11:03 AM: VegasSmitty: Maybe Clark County should at least consider hiring a traffic engineer. Did you people even know they don't have one? Oh, and all you folks complaining about the roads and road closures, please remember that conditions are only as bad as the drivers driving on them! Nobody, not any transportation department or police department wants to stop traffic from flowing. That would mean a lot of port-a-poties along the roads! Ha!


    Tony wrote on December 21, 2008 10:31 AM: My 20 minute commute to Anthem and Reunion took four hours.

    I expected a huge accident blocking traffic. I saw people spinning their tires on a gentle little hill.

    There was a Henderson police officer helping them get up the hill by pushing their cars. I was stopped on the hill behind a Toyota Sequoia 4WD that was spinning a tire--they hadn't even put it in 4WD.

    As soon as the Toyota moved sideways enough to clear a lane, I accelerated up the hill. The officer initially was going to flag me to stop, but waved me on through when he saw I was actually moving.

    My awesome snow-driving machine for this commute? My Dodge Ram 4WD? Nope. I didn't drive it that day. I drove my VW New Beetle.

    I was born and raised here, but I know how to drive. It became even more clear to me how many people here don't know how to drive. I learned somewhat of the derision mountain people mean when they use the term "flatlander."

    The drivers here aren't even good enough to be called flatlanders.


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