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New
Downtown Transportation Center in Las Vegas among major
bus-related projects funded
As high gas prices drive demand for good public transit
options, Nevada Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign are bringing
home more than $54 million in grant funding to upgrade bus
travel in cities throughout the state.
 The
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada will
receive more than $47 million for major advancements including a
new Downtown Transportation Center and ACE Rapid Transit service
on Boulder Highway between Henderson and Las Vegas. More than
$3.6 million will go to the Regional Transportation Commission
of Washoe County for continued work on its Reno intermodal
transfer center, and the State of Nevada will receive $897,000
for buses, radios and signage.
“An efficient bus system is at the heart of tackling our
energy challenges and this money will go a long way,” Reid said.
“Nevadans deserve quality mass transit options to help them save
money and get where they need to go safely and quickly, and
anything we can do to reduce the number of cars on the road will
help with our goal of reducing fuel consumption.”
“With gas prices continuing to hurt the budgets of families
across our state, public transportation has become a welcome
alternative for many,” Ensign said. “These funds will help to
ensure that our public transit system in southern Nevada
receives the improvements it needs to support the rise in
ridership across the valley, help keep our air clean and further
reduce our reliance on foreign oil.”
PROJECT LISTING
Sunset Maintenance Facility:
This is a new bus maintenance yard that will support the RTC’s
fixed route, ACE Rapid Transit and Paratransit bus systems. It
will feature 180,000 square feet of bus bays and maintenance
areas, as well as fueling stations and bus wash facilities. The
facility is currently under construction near the corner of
Sunset Road and Decatur Boulevard, near the 215 Beltway. The
facility will replace the RTC’s existing Tompkins bus
maintenance facility, which is nearing capacity. It is currently
under construction and is expected to be completed in 2009.
Central City Intermodal Transportation Terminal:
The new terminal will replace the existing Downtown
Transportation Center, located in downtown Las Vegas. The
existing facility is owned by the City of Las Vegas, which has
other plans for the land. The new terminal will serve as the
central hub for the Regional Transportation Commission’s transit
service and will include bus bays for transit vehicles, an air
conditioned terminal for passengers to wait for transit service,
and a bike center where cyclists can check their bikes in during
work days. The terminal will be built at the corner of
Bonneville Avenue and Casino Center Blvd. in downtown Las Vegas.
The facility is expected to be completed in 2010.
ACE Boulder Highway: This rapid transit project will be the second new rapid
transit line in the RTC’s ACE Southern Nevada. ACE will feature
fast transit service on sleek rail-like vehicles in dedicated
transit lanes along portions of Boulder Highway. Passengers will
board at level platforms along Boulder Highway, with fast
service connecting downtown Las Vegas and Henderson. ACE Boulder
Highway is in the design phase and it is scheduled to open in
2011.
Laughlin Transit Facility:
The RTC is working to develop a new administration and
maintenance facility to serve Paratransit and fixed route
operations in Laughlin. The RTC provides transit services in
Laughlin through the Southern Nevada Transit Coalition, a
non-profit organization that provides such services for
governmental agencies in Nevada. Currently, the Southern Nevada
Transit Coalition is utilizing an old police station building
for its operations and is maintaining its vehicle fleet in the
parking lot with no protection from the elements. The Laughlin
Maintenance Facility will be located on 5.2 acres, north of
Civic Drive. The project includes a 6,000-s.f. building with
administrative offices and five bays for maintenance and repair
of vehicles, parking spaces for 20 fixed route and 10
Paratransit coaches and a bus wash area. The facility is
anticipated to be open for operations in late 2009.
Reno 4th
Street Station:
Building construction will begin in spring 2009 on the new
transit hub in downtown Reno known as RTC 4TH STREET STATION.
Artistically designed, the station is expected to open in late
2010 at the corner of East 4th and Lake Streets. It
will house transit operations for RTC RIDE, the regional bus
service, RTC SIERRA SPIRIT, the downtown circulator, and RTC
INTERCITY, the commuter express service to Carson City. The $37
million center replaces the current facility two blocks to the
west and will increase much-needed capacity, maximize transit
efficiency and is a major contribution to downtown Reno
revitalization. It will neighbor the new baseball stadium and
make the old location available for revitalization in the
downtown core. Work on site preparation began in August. |
