Tinted headlights may be trendy but they’re illegal in Nevada
Headlights in shades of yellow, green, blue, purple and red appear to be the latest trend hitting the roads.
The novelty tints may look cool and distinctive, but they’re poor at projecting the right amount of light and make it hard to see what’s in front of drivers.
Plus, they’re illegal, according to Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Jason Buratczuk.
All vehicle headlights must have a certain illumination output based on the Kelvin scale, ranging from traditional halogen bulbs to high-intensity white lights with a bluish tint found on many newer models.
In Nevada, that legal output range is 5,000 to 6,000 kelvins.
Drivers who place tinting film over their headlights can expect to get a citation and will be required to restore the original lights, Buratczuk said.
Basically, leave the colorful lights to the Strip and downtown Las Vegas.
As a side note, Buratczuk reminds pickup drivers that those super-bright fog light strips are for off-road use only and are not permitted on Nevada’s freeways.
Starr primer
Jana from Las Vegas wanted an update on the Starr Avenue freeway interchange at Interstate 15 currently under construction in the southern end of the valley. Specifically, Jana wanted to know how far Starr will be extended on either side of I-15.
Tony Illia, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said the new interchange is expected to ease traffic congestion in Henderson and the south valley by filling a missing link on Starr between Las Vegas Boulevard and Dean Martin Drive.
Construction started in November on the $34 million project, 1 mile south of the Cactus Avenue exit and more than a mile north of St. Rose Parkway.
By the time work wraps up in mid-2019, Starr Avenue will run six lanes with landscaped medians, bicycle lanes and sidewalks, Illia said. Plans also call for the addition of crosswalks, lights, traffic signals and drainage improvements.
Misaligned lanes
Patrick from Henderson recently noticed that the traffic lanes were misaligned on a section of southbound St. Rose Parkway around Coronado Center Drive.
“There are no lane markers through the intersection as some drivers mistakenly shift into the incorrect lane,” Patrick said.
Illia, the NDOT spokesman, said that crews will correct the pavement markings, if needed, “in the near future.”
Stephanie not smooth
Cathy from Henderson wanted to know whether city officials plan to repair and resurface a bumpy patch of southbound Stephanie Street, between the 215 Beltway and Arroyo Grande Boulevard.
“It is so rough that it shakes the car unbelievably, and has been that way for a long time with lots of holes on the top layer of pavement,” Cathy said.
Henderson city spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said a resurfacing project is planned for this section of Stephanie Street and construction should start soon.
Dedicated left turn
Elaine from Las Vegas wanted to know why the city does not have a dedicated left-turn lane for drivers headed from westbound Tropical Parkway to southbound Durango Drive in the northwest area.
“Due to the high traffic coming from Walmart, Sam’s Club, Home Depot and others, I have seen many near-miss accidents here,” Elaine wrote in an email to the Road Warrior.
Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said that traffic engineers are planning to install a set of flashing yellow arrows that will make it easier for drivers to turn left at this intersection.
“It appears we will have to install a new pole and foundation on the northwest corner of the intersection to accommodate left-turn signals,” Kurtz said.
Expect the work to be completed in a few months.
Repaving Tropicana
William from Summerlin wanted to know why crews have spent about a year working on a section of Tropicana Avenue between Grand Canyon Drive and Hualapai Way.
Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said several private development projects are underway in that area. When that work is completed, Kulin said that county road crews will repave that section of Tropicana later this year.
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Road work ahead
Downtown
— The outside lane of southbound Interstate 15 is closed between Sahara Avenue and Flamingo Road through late April. Crews are erecting traffic management signs.
— The outside lane of northbound Interstate 15 is closed between Flamingo and Desert Inn roads through late April. Crews are erecting traffic management signs.
— Main Street is restricted between Bonneville Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard through May. Crews are working on a storm drain.
— The D Street onramp to southbound Interstate 15 is closed through mid-July. Crews are working on Project Neon.
— Sections of Bonneville Avenue, Charleston Boulevard, Grand Central Parkway and Martin Luther King Boulevard will have closed or disrupted lanes surrounding the Spaghetti Bowl as crews work on Project Neon through July.
— Ogden Avenue will be restricted between Main Street and City Parkway from 7 a.m. Monday through mid-October. Crews are making street, sidewalk and lighting improvements.
— The Charleston Boulevard onramps to southbound Interstate 15 are closed until mid-October. Crews are rebuilding the intersection.
— Interstate 15 will be narrowed in both directions between Sahara Avenue and D Street until Nov. 20. Crews are widening the freeway.
— The ramp connecting southbound U.S. Highway 95 to southbound I-15 will be reduced to one lane and detoured through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The ramp linking southbound U.S. 95 to northbound I-15 is closed through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The Martin Luther King Boulevard onramp to southbound U.S. Highway 95 is closed until early 2019. Crews are building a high-occupancy flyover ramp.
— Gass Avenue will be restricted between Las Vegas and Charleston Boulevards through March 2019. Crews are making pedestrians and bicycle improvements.
Northwest
— Both directions of U.S. Highway 95 are narrowed to a single lane between Skye Canyon Park and Paiute drives through July 12. Crews are building a new interchange bridge.
— Both directions of U.S. Highway 95 will be narrowed to two lanes at Elkhorn Road through December. Crews are building a new carpool ramp.
Southwest
— Jones Boulevard will be restricted between Tropicana and University avenues through June 29. Crews are doing sewer work.
East valley
— Eastern Avenue is restricted between Flamingo Road and Tompkins Avenue through June 11. Crews are restoring the street.
Henderson
— Center Street is restricted between Burkholder Boulevard and Lake Mead Parkway through June. Crews are making various road improvements.
North Las Vegas
— Southbound Interstate 15 will be restricted between Lake Mead Boulevard and Owens Avenue from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday. Crews will inspect an overhead railroad bridge.
— U.S. Highway 93 is restricted between Interstate 15 and Apex Power Parkway through June. Crews are widening the highway and upgrading an interchange.
— Nellis Boulevard is restricted between Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays through July. Crews are installing sewer pipes.
Gasoline prices
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $3.14 per gallon. It was $3.14 in Nevada. The national average of $2.76 is up 6 cents from a week ago, up 20 cents from a month ago and up 33 cents from a year ago.
