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[MikeG]

Now Open in Nevada! - NV-375, The "Extra-Terrestral Hwy" now has a gas station and general store open in Rachel, NV. Campground / RV hookups coming soon.


MOD NOTE: Removed unrelated quoted material. —Roadfro

[skluth]

Now Open in Nevada! - NV-375, The "Extra-Terrestral Hwy" now has a gas station and general store open in Rachel, NV. Campground / RV hookups coming soon.

Cool. Rachel even has 4G LTE cell coverage for my phone according to Spectrum.

[ClassicHasClass]

The Grays just get angry if they can't watch Hulu.

[roadfro]

Random: NDOT has changed their website from www.nevadadot.com to www.dot.nv.gov.

I'm curious why they switched...maybe since they're not a commercial enterprise? But it's not like the ".gov" domain is new... *shrug*

[Ketchup99]

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1966947,-114.8542744,3a,30.1y,339.33h,88.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-i3bz8aqcgrq5jGzTzBOfA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
What's up with this? I thought Nevada (like every state but Texas) never posted above 70 on at-grade highways.

[Max Rockatansky]

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1966947,-114.8542744,3a,30.1y,339.33h,88.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-i3bz8aqcgrq5jGzTzBOfA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
What's up with this? I thought Nevada (like every state but Texas) never posted above 70 on at-grade highways.

Really it could be 85 MPH south of Boulder City on most of US 95 to the State Line.  Aside from Searchlight it doesn’t get any straighter or easier of a drive. 

[Ketchup99]

Oh, I don't doubt that at all.
I just thought Nevada didn't allow over 70 on at-grades. Are there other examples of something like this?

[Max Rockatansky]

Oh, I don't doubt that at all.
I just thought Nevada didn't allow over 70 on at-grades. Are there other examples of something like this?

I believe so for grade separated expressways.  I want to say US 95 north of Las Vegas approaching Mercury is like this now also.

[Plutonic Panda]

I wish Nevada would one up Texas and become the first state with 100MPH speed limits. I’m not going to admit anything, but I believe there are multiple roads that would be good candidates for this.

[skluth]

I'd rather have the old Montana "Reasonable and proper" than 100 mph. I think a speed limit that high encourages people to speed unnecessarily, thinking they should be driving that fast. Reasonable and proper may draw a few pure speed enthusiasts, but those who drive that fast - even if it's well above 100 mph - either have the ability and proper equipment or are soon dead. I'm good with that.

[Plutonic Panda]

100 MPH sounds fast on paper but with many new cars you can come close to that driving over 90 and not really realize it. R&P sounds like it had too many issues with LEOs deciding what the speed limit was and led to many problems. I can’t tell you how often I’ve driven about 100 on I-15 with absolutely zero issues but I also maintain my car unlike many others.

Outside of drunk drivers and a few speed enthusiasts, I don’t see many opting to go that fast anyways maybe 85-90. Only reason it wouldn’t be safe is the plague of left lane campers in this country. If anything I do think the limit should at least be 85 from Barstow to Rose PKWY.

[Max Rockatansky]

I-80 would probably be the place to put 100 MPH if I was going to choose one.  Aside from spread out trucks there isn’t much east of Reno towards the Utah State Line to cause much of a slowdown.

[roadfro]

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.1966947,-114.8542744,3a,30.1y,339.33h,88.28t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-i3bz8aqcgrq5jGzTzBOfA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
What's up with this? I thought Nevada (like every state but Texas) never posted above 70 on at-grade highways.

You'd have to better define "at-grade highway" (which I don't think is a term regularly used).

NDOT doesn't post two-lane highways above 70. The vast majority of two-lane highway mileage in the state is posted at 70.

US 95 is mostly a divided highway between Boulder City and the SR 163/Laughlin Hwy turnoff (the linked view becomes divided once you get past the turn for the gas station) with very few turnoffs or intersections. As such, 75 is appropriate.

Oh, I don't doubt that at all.
I just thought Nevada didn't allow over 70 on at-grades. Are there other examples of something like this?

I believe so for grade separated expressways.  I want to say US 95 north of Las Vegas approaching Mercury is like this now also.

Unless anything has changed since early January 2021, the divided highway section of US 95 between SR 156/Kyle Canyon Rd (urban limit of Las Vegas) and the Mercury interchange is posted at 70 mph (except for the 45 zone through Indian Springs).

I'm not aware of any other non-Interstate divided highway stretches in Nevada that are posted higher than 70. Only other one I can think of that comes close is US 395 between Carson City and Minden, and that is posted at 65.

[roadfro]

The long-talked about project to add a second bridge over the Colorado River connecting between Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ is one step closer to reality now.

$52.4M contract awarded for Laughlin-to-Bullhead City bridge Las Vegas Review-Journal, 5/5/2021

The Clark County Commission Tuesday approved the lowest submitted bid of $52.4 million from contractor Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. to build the five-span, 724-foot long bridge.

Nearly $26 million of the project’s cost will come from the Regional Transportation Commission. Another $20.9 million will come from the federal government, earmarked in 2005 by then Sen. Harry Reid, $4.5 million from Bullhead City and $1.1 million from Clark County.
<...>
Construction is slated to begin by year’s end and work crews have 730 days to complete the project, according to the bid agreement.

The new bridge will take some of the traffic volume off the existing four-lane bridge that connects Highways 95 and 68 in Arizona with Highway 163 in Nevada, according to the Associated Press. That bridge was completed in 1987 and has since seen over 600 million people travel across it.
<...>
“Twenty years ago the need was identified and now, with over 30,000 vehicles traveling on Highway 95 through Bullhead City every day, the need is becoming more urgent,” he said. “Both Bullhead City and Laughlin are growing at a tremendous pace and this bridge will create a circular loop connecting both of our communities.”

[roadfro]

NDOT is making changes to their Twitter presence. Their current @nevadadot handle will remain, but they are launching regional accounts that will now be used to post many of the traffic alerts that had been previously posted to the statewide account.

NDOT Launches Regional Twitter Accounts, NDOT press release, 5/17/21

(...)
With nearly 35,000 followers, NDOT’s long-standing @NevadaDOT statewide Twitter account, which launched in 2009, will continue to provide transportation updates and insight with statewide, programmatic, or unique regional significance.

However, the following three regional accounts will be the new location to find automated traffic alerts specific to each region:

@NevadadotVegas- Clark, Nye, Esmeralda and Lincoln counties. Southern Nevada from Mina to Searchlight.
@NevadadotReno- Washoe, Douglas, Churchill, Storey, Lyon, Pershing and Mineral counties. Northwestern Nevada from Reno-Tahoe to Lovelock and from northern Washoe County to Hawthorne.
@NevadadotElko- Elko, Humboldt, White Pine, Eureka and Lander counties. Northeastern Nevada from Winnemucca to West Wendover and from Jackpot to Ely.

The change means that automated regional highway alerts such as roadway lane closures and wind warnings previously posted to the statewide @NevadaDOT account will now instead be posted to the respective regional accounts, providing targeted traffic alerts such as:

- Highway and state road construction updates and closures
- High-profile vehicle wind prohibitions on wind-prone highway such as Interstate 580 in Washoe Valley
- Snow tire and chain requirements
- Parade or other special events temporarily restricting highway travel
(...)
NDOT will continue selectively sharing automated traffic alerts on the main @NevadaDOT account until mid-June. Nevadans are encouraged to continue following @NevadaDOT for statewide transportation information and begin following the regional NDOT Twitter accounts of interest.

This is a welcome change. There are days where the traffic alerts really clutter up the Twitter feed on the main account, especially with all the shenanigans that can happen on Vegas roadways.

I seem to recall years ago that NDOT used to have a separate account for the Vegas area, but that has long since been discontinued...probably now that many social media postings can be automated, multiple accounts are now easier to maintain.

It appears the coverage areas for the three regional accounts roughly correspond to the NDOT maintenance district boundaries...noting that the locations of these regional accounts are also the cities in which the three districts’ main offices are located.

[Plutonic Panda]

I actually really like that idea. A lot of DOT accounts I follow are to simply stay informed about project information and it will be nice not having the main account cluttered up.

[roadfro]

Just read about a bill that passed through our legislative session...many minor traffic violations have been decriminalized and will now be civil infractions.

Most minor traffic violations decriminalized in Nevada, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 6/08/2021

CARSON CITY — Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday signed a bill [AB 116] into law that decriminalizes most minor traffic offenses, classifying them instead as civil infractions.

The reclassification means that jail time would be off the table for a large swath of traffic offenses, such as minor speeding, violating an HOV lane restriction, making an illegal turn, not wearing a seat belt, or driving without a child safety seat.

When traffic offenses are considered criminal misdemeanors, a court could issue a warrant if the person does not appear in court or fails to pay their fine on time.
<...>
The bill marked the fifth time lawmakers in Nevada had pushed some form legislation to reclassify minor traffic infractions in the last decade. This time, the bill faced little resistance in the Legislature and passed with only one “no” vote [in both] the Assembly and the Senate.
<...>
Sisolak on Tuesday also signed Senate Bill 219, which removes a court’s authority to suspend a person’s driver’s license or prevent them from applying for one based on an unpaid fine, administrative assessment or other type of fee.
<...>

[nexus73]

Scofflaws are going to love that bit of legislation.  I guess that fines which go unpaid will wind up submitted to a collections agency.

Rick

[roadfro]

Scofflaws are going to love that bit of legislation.  I guess that fines which go unpaid will wind up submitted to a collections agency.

The legislation is a growing trend. The article notes that Nevada joins 37 other states that have already done this.

[Sub-Urbanite]

Scofflaws are going to love that bit of legislation.  I guess that fines which go unpaid will wind up submitted to a collections agency.

Rick

It'd be great if this was handled fairly, but the most recent data (which admittedly is 18 years old) shows that Black and Hispanic drivers were more likely to be pulled over than whites or Asians, and, more starkly, Black and Hispanic residents made up 2/3rds of Las Vegas' arrest warrants for unpaid traffic violations.

Also notably, when Carson City adopted this policy in 2019, collection on unpaid traffic fines went up.

Basically, it doesn't make sense to throw someone in jail for three days and have them deal with the disruption that comes from that, if we want people to actually pay their fines.

[nexus73]

Scofflaws are going to love that bit of legislation.  I guess that fines which go unpaid will wind up submitted to a collections agency.

Rick

It'd be great if this was handled fairly, but the most recent data (which admittedly is 18 years old) shows that Black and Hispanic drivers were more likely to be pulled over than whites or Asians, and, more starkly, Black and Hispanic residents made up 2/3rds of Las Vegas' arrest warrants for unpaid traffic violations.

Also notably, when Carson City adopted this policy in 2019, collection on unpaid traffic fines went up.

Basically, it doesn't make sense to throw someone in jail for three days and have them deal with the disruption that comes from that, if we want people to actually pay their fines.

I had a buddy (who was white) in the Air Force, back in the Seventies, who did not pay his fines on time, so when he was caught doing something wrong while driving, off to jail he went in San Diego County!  That got his attention. 

If 2/3'rds of blacks and Hispanics are nonpayers, then the number you quoted is just reflecting the situation.  One would have to know what each race's behavior was like in order to truly know what is going on.

I have a stepnephew, also white, that lives in Vegas.  He had accumulated a few thousand dollars in unpaid fines.  Tossing him into the hoosegow also got his attention.  Eventually he did straighten out his life but it took some judicial action before he did.

Why let bad behaviors go unpunished?  Driving is a privilege, not a right. 

Rick

[roadfro]

Scofflaws are going to love that bit of legislation.  I guess that fines which go unpaid will wind up submitted to a collections agency.

Rick

It'd be great if this was handled fairly, but the most recent data (which admittedly is 18 years old) shows that Black and Hispanic drivers were more likely to be pulled over than whites or Asians, and, more starkly, Black and Hispanic residents made up 2/3rds of Las Vegas' arrest warrants for unpaid traffic violations.

Also notably, when Carson City adopted this policy in 2019, collection on unpaid traffic fines went up.

Basically, it doesn't make sense to throw someone in jail for three days and have them deal with the disruption that comes from that, if we want people to actually pay their fines.

I had a buddy (who was white) in the Air Force, back in the Seventies, who did not pay his fines on time, so when he was caught doing something wrong while driving, off to jail he went in San Diego County!  That got his attention. 

If 2/3'rds of blacks and Hispanics are nonpayers, then the number you quoted is just reflecting the situation.  One would have to know what each race's behavior was like in order to truly know what is going on.

I have a stepnephew, also white, that lives in Vegas.  He had accumulated a few thousand dollars in unpaid fines.  Tossing him into the hoosegow also got his attention.  Eventually he did straighten out his life but it took some judicial action before he did.

Why let bad behaviors go unpunished?  Driving is a privilege, not a right. 

Rick

Asking this question at the risk of derailing this thread of discussion... but what do you mean by the bolded statement? Generalizing by race or ethnicity should not be necessary in the context of individuals' traffic law violations and their ability to resolve them.

I agree generally with not letting bad behaviors go unpunished, but misdemeanors and possible jail time for minor traffic violations doesn't seem like the way to go. Now, if someone racks up multiple traffic infractions and doesn't pay them (or do some equivalent amount of community service if unable to pay, assuming that is an option), I would say that additional steps should be taken at that point.

[nexus73]

What you "bolded" refers to accumulating the statistics.  If the stats match up rather closely to the amount of people present in those races, then we are not dealing with racism.  If the stats are way different, then the question becomes one of racism vs cultural approaches, which would be a Pretty Tough One to answer in terms of pure numbers.

Rick

[Alps]

What you "bolded" refers to accumulating the statistics.  If the stats match up rather closely to the amount of people present in those races, then we are not dealing with racism.  If the stats are way different, then the question becomes one of racism vs cultural approaches, which would be a Pretty Tough One to answer in terms of pure numbers.

Rick

Not necessary to know. If minorities are being disproportionately jailed to their overall numbers, there is a problem rooted in racism. If the jail sentences are actually proportional to the crimes being commited, that informs you that the problem is socially endemic and we need to develop equity over generations. If the sentences are not proportional, then you have systemic racism. The truth is in between and we have both.

[nexus73]

What you "bolded" refers to accumulating the statistics.  If the stats match up rather closely to the amount of people present in those races, then we are not dealing with racism.  If the stats are way different, then the question becomes one of racism vs cultural approaches, which would be a Pretty Tough One to answer in terms of pure numbers.

Rick

Not necessary to know. If minorities are being disproportionately jailed to their overall numbers, there is a problem rooted in racism. If the jail sentences are actually proportional to the crimes being commited, that informs you that the problem is socially endemic and we need to develop equity over generations. If the sentences are not proportional, then you have systemic racism. The truth is in between and we have both.

While living in Tangipahoa Parish (Louisiana) back in the second half of the Nineties, I saw work groups from the county jail doing various cleaning tasks.  It was rare to see a white person despite the parish population being rather evenly split between black and white.  That was something I had not expected to see.

Black thug culture had taken over the outdoors so much that children never played outside nor did any of them ever go trick or treating on Hallowe'en.  Drug dealers gathered in packs both in the cities and countryside.  Police actually protected the drug trade so they could have informers. which the Hammond LA police chief said accounted for 99% of crimes solved.  Black neighborhoods looked totally run down while the mostly white neighborhoods had the classic middle class look.  Hammond and Ponchatoula high schools had to be moved out of town and the campuses closed to hold down the troubles.

Very Third World were the conditions.  Oh well, at least the food was good. 

Rick