New Summerlin Pkwy Ramp Opens

Over the past few months I've watched this awesome structure go up piece by piece as I travel from the Northwest part of the Las Vegas valley and into, what I call, "town". I didn't exactly bother to read up on what the monstrous ramp/bridge structure was for, I just kept myself guessing the entire time. I knew that it connected the US-95 Freeway to Summerlin Parkway, but was it for Northbound exiting to Summerlin or for Summerlin exiting Southbound US-95?

As you know, when something good comes along, privileges first get taken away and then you reap the rewards. For months during construction, drivers were constantly getting shifted around from one lane to another and finally it was always a merge from four lanes down to one. Then, when you were traveling Northbound late night, you would have heavy duty bright bright bright lights right in your face as you attempt to merge and navigate like real life Mario Kart.

Well, I'm happy to say now that it's over with...at least for the Summerlin Flyover as they call it. You see, an HOV lane was made to help reward carpoolers during peak hours but the problem was, when you had to exit Summerlin Parkway, it was a mad dash to cut right across multiple lanes to make the exit. AND - if there was bumper to bumper stalled traffic, you needed a succession of good samaritans to let you by which may require a few prayers. Everyone else isn't too happy that you were able to fly along in the HOV lane anyways, let alone be extra accommodating when you needed to get ALL THE WAY over to exit Summerlin Parkway.

So, the Nevada DOT thought, let's build a flyover bridge! This is what the whole chaos of construction has been about. It's finally done and it looks pretty darn cool. I haven't driven on it myself yet but I look forward to trying it out. Now, while traveling on the left HOV lane, you have a left handed exit onto Summerlin Parkway.

The rules of use are as follows: Monday-Friday, 6am to 10am and 2pm to 7pm - you must be carpooling. For those single travelers out there, give it a go any other time!