Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.
Beyond the Sun
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Work on the Sahara Express bus line will require lane closures for Sahara Avenue on the western half of the valley in addition to closures already in place in the east.
Crews began working Feb. 7 on Sahara Avenue, closing lanes between Boulder Highway and Las Vegas Boulevard. Officials held a kickoff for the project Thursday and on Monday lanes will begin closing between Hualapai Way and Durango Drive.
The Regional Transportation Commission said one lane in each direction on Sahara Avenue will be closed while crews remove and replace sidewalks, put in electrical equipment, prepare for transit shelter installation and make landscape improvements.
Lane restrictions will remain in place on both sections 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 now 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 of the 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.
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