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Las Vegas Project To Ease Traffic On Eastside Begins

Before the invasion of California (and other states looking to live a better life), Las Vegas traffic was just a slight delay in your day. An orange cone in the…

a traffic jam on Tropicana Blvd., facing west. New York New York hotels and casino is on the right and Excalibur is on the left. Concept of Las Vegas traffic

Las Vegas Blvd traffic in Nevada. The state will be receiving upwards of 4 billion for roads, bridges, water and broadband expansion.

Annie McEntireVia Getty Images

Before the invasion of California (and other states looking to live a better life), Las Vegas traffic was just a slight delay in your day. An orange cone in the road. A 10 minute aggravation. Now? Well, California seems to have brought their traffic with them. 

Las Vegas Traffic Should Begin To Ease With New Project

According to News3lv.com, Las Vegas just broke ground on a multi-million-dollar project designed to make life easier on the eastside. Specifically, residents of Sunrise Manor, who make their daily commute to Henderson every day. With the Las Vegas traffic on that ride, it's so ugly that some residents choose to take Boulder Highway over Hollywood Blvd. Yes, my friend, Boulder highway is more attractive than that commute. That's pretty gross. 

Getting The Investment Needed To Lessen Las Vegas Traffic

Due to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was passed in 2021, otherwise known as IIJA, Nevada is receiving upwards of four billion dollars, in funds to rebuild the state, according to Nevada Builds. So Hollywood Boulevard, which is now two lanes, is going to become a four-lane throughway, which will ease the daily pain of going to work.  

But that money isn't only for helping Sunrise Manor residents, according to Governor's Office of Federal Assistance, Nevada is going to receive money to also help rebuild bridges. There will also be funds to help expand access to clean drinking water. Thank god, because our water is horrid. Additionally, there will be money spent on expanding broadband coverage throughout the state. Plus, we will be able to improve ports, airports and strengthen our supply chains. Although I bet food companies will still gouge us at the grocery store. Jerks. 

But hey, this is great news if you think about it. Not just for Las Vegas traffic problems either. This will help rebuild our infrastructure, create jobs and revitalize our state economy. But most importantly, it will keep our state flower, the orange cones, blooming. 

Thieves Target These 10 Cars For Catalytic Converters In Nevada

The theft of catalytic converters in Las Vegas is a plaguing problem.

You've seen the stories on the news, maybe you know someone or maybe you're a victim of this trending criminal activity: Catalytic convertors are being stolen at a high rate.

And it seems like in the past five years, a rush of more catalytic convertors have been plucked out of cars and sold as scrap metal. In 2022, catalytic convertor thefts were 540% higher across the country compared to 2020, according to USA Today.

It's a relatively "easy" crime that requires a sly person to slip under a car, to saw off the pollution-controlling device and to ultimately  sell off the metal from the converter.

It's a costly item that ranges in the thousands to get replaced, and most insurance doesn't cover theft of catalytic convertors.

Catalytic convertors help clean a car's exhaust and filters out harmful pollution coming from the car's tailpipe.

Precious metals, such as platinum and palladium, are used in the catalytic convertors, which are some-what valuable when sold off as scrap metal.  The disrupted supply chain has also increased the prices for these metals. Someone who sells a catalytic convertor and its metals can get anywhere from $50 to $1,000 depending on the quantity and quality of the metal.

But despite this increasing trend of stolen catalytic convertors, there are a few ways to protect your car.

The most common way is to park in a manner where thieves are unable to climb underneath. Keep your car in a garage (if you have one) and avoid street parking if possible. If you must park in the street, or in a public parking lot, then try to stay in a well-lit area near buildings or anywhere that may have a security camera.

Also, a AAA driver once told us to spray paint your catalytic convertor with a bright color like neon orange, bright pink, red, etc. This will deter a possible thief for a few reasons. It's harder to sell a spray-painted catalytic convertor, and the thief may think that the convertor is linked with a specific car, per the AAA worker's recommendation.

8 News Now published an article that outlines the 10 most popular cars that thieves target when it comes to stealing catalytic convertors. Scroll down below to see if your car is on the list!

10. Dodge Journey

The tenth most popular car among catalytic convertor theft is a Dodge Journey. This car's size and popularity makes it a prime target.

9. Chevrolet Equinox

A Chevy Equinox is the ninth most popular car when it comes to people targeting vehicles for catalytic convertors. Considering this is one of the most popular cars across the country, it makes sense why this vehicle is a hot target for this crime trend.

8. Chevrolet Silverado

A catalytic convertor replacement for a Chevy Silverado can cost more than $2,000 -- just for the part, according to RepairPal.com. From the precious metals to the ease of sliding underneath the truck, the Silverado is another prime target for catalytic convertor theft. The Silverado takes eight place on the top 10 most targeted cars for catalytic convertor theft.

7. Subaru Forester

Subaru is one of the most popular vehicle makes in the West. The high degree of precious metals within this model's catalytic convertor makes it a prime target for car theft in general and catalytic convertor apple picking.

6. Toyota Prius

Placing sixth on the list is a Toyota Prius. Due to the car being a hybrid model, there are more precious metals within the car's interior products. Thus, making this model's catalytic convertor much more expensive.

5. Chevrolet Cruze

Although it's no longer in production, the Chevrolet Cruze is one of the most coveted cars when it comes to catalytic convertor theft. The metals and the abundance of this car makes it a prime ride to steal catalytic convertors from.

4. Ford Econoline

The E-Series, which is the fourth generation Econoline, reached the fourth spot on our "Top 10" list. Due to the fact that many companies and organizations use this model for work or business purposes, it could be understood why these cars are plagued with the problem of getting their catalytic convertors stolen.

3. Honda CR-V

This popular car is hot among thieves who are looking for a quick pay day. Precious metals and the popularity of the car makes for this vehcile to land on the third spot for most popular cars that are targeted by catalytic convertor thieves.

2. Ford F Series Truck

It's one of the most best-selling cars in America: The Ford F Series Truck. It almost received the #1 spot, but the degree of theft wasn't as high as the next car on the list.

1. Honda Accord

The Honda Accord is one of the hottest vehicles when it comes to getting your catalytic convertor stolen. From the precious metals inside of the convertor and to sheer popularity of the car, this make received first place on this list.

carlotaWriter
Carlota is the music director and midday on-air personality for KXTE Las Vegas. She has been with the station since July of 2023. Carlota has been in the Las Vegas market since 1998, First with KXTE, 92.3 KOMP for 18 years, and now back with KXTE. She is known mostly for her on air work but also writes about Las Vegas happenings and where to find the best tequila in Sin City.