RTC rendering of a proposed light rail running along Maryland Parkway, from the airport to downtown Las Vegas and the medical district.
Just under two weeks remain for the public to weigh in on proposals for a high-capacity transit project along Maryland Parkway.
The project could bring a long discussed but never realized light rail connecting McCarran International Airport to Downtown Las Vegas. But two less flashy options are also on the table. One is a proposal to build what’s called a “bus rapid transit” route, which would include a dedicated lane for buses, similar to what exists along part of Sahara Avenue. The least expensive option calls for simply enhancing the existing bus route, Route 109, without any major infrastructure changes.
Capital costs for the light rail proposal are estimated at $750 million; capital costs for the bus rapid transit proposal are $335 million. Enhancing the existing route would cost $29 million.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is currently accepting public comments related to the project, which is expected to involve federal and local dollars. Comments are being accepted via scheduled town halls and open houses, as well as online, through March 7.
Several rounds of community engagement efforts have already taken place, but local officials are stressing that this will be the last time the public can weigh in before it goes before the RTC board. That could happen as soon as April.
All three transportation proposals are intended to connect key parts of the central part of the valley and improve public transportation service along Maryland Parkway, from Russell Road near the airport to Downtown Las Vegas, and through the medical district near Charleston Boulevard, just west of the I-15.
Route 109 generates the eighth highest ridership of all existing bus routes and the second highest ridership of all north-south routes, according to the RTC. The route sees approximately 9,000 transit riders daily.
In wonky transit talk, the route produces “the highest productivity in terms of passengers per service-hour and per mile, after the Las Vegas Strip routes.”
In layman’s terms: A whole lot of people use that route.
According to the RTC environmental impact report: “Route 109 is oriented toward residents, employees, and students with time-sensitive trip needs; disabled persons and persons in wheelchairs who use the transit system to access various medical facilities in the corridor; and employees making critical connections to the east-west routes going to/from the major employment centers along the resort corridor.”
Approximately 32 percent of all households in the corridor have no vehicle available to them.
At the same time, stretches of Maryland Parkway see copious amounts of vehicular traffic, both from residents living along the corridor and those passing through it. Average daily traffic levels reach 35,000 to 40,000 vehicles at several major intersections along the parkway. In public comments already on the record, many residents have expressed concern about the effect losing travel lanes will have on drivers.
The RTC held the first of three presentations and Q&A session earlier this week. The remaining two will take place next week: The first from 4 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Historic Fifth Street School; the second from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Cambridge Community Center.
More information about the Maryland Parkway Project can be found here.
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