Economic recovery funding on the way will bring help for economy while helping traffic, mass transit

June 10, 2009

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today announced more than $33 million in economic recovery funding to assist three major transportation products in southern Nevada.

The funding will be used by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada for the ACE Green Line on Boulder Highway, Centennial Hills Transit Center Park & Ride and Central City Intermodal Transportation Terminal. These projects will bring jobs to southern Nevada while improving our mass transit systems and easing commutes for drivers.
 
“We must continue to work to meet the challenges of growth throughout southern Nevada,” Reid said. “This funding will not only help to do that, but it will create jobs we sorely need to build the facilities and infrastructure for the future.”
 
Details of the projects are as follows:

Central City Intermodal Transportation Terminal: ($5,538,371)
The RTC will construct a new transit terminal in downtown Las Vegas.  This facility will be the main transit hub for Southern Nevada’s ACE, ACExpress and regular fixed route bus services.  The 21,000 square foot terminal will be constructed at the corner of Casino Center Boulevard Bonneville Avenue.  The facility is designed with a commitment to sustainability and the RTC is pursuing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification of Gold.  The RTC is expected to break ground on the project in June 2009 with the facility scheduled to open in 2010.
 
Centennial Hills Transit Center Park & Ride: ($8,873,350)  
The RTC will break ground in June 2009 on a new park and ride facility at U.S. 95 and Durango Drive in the northwest part of the valley.  The facility will provide passengers with a park and ride lot, an air-conditioned facility to wait for transit service and ticket vending machines.  The RTC will launch the first ACExpress transit service from the facility when it opens in January 2010.  The ACExpress C Line will provide fast, limited-stop service from the Centennial Hills area to downtown Las Vegas, using the high-occupancy vehicle lanes on U.S. 95.  From Downtown, ACExpress will continue service to the resort corridor and UNLV.
 
ACE Green Line on Boulder Highway:  ($19,329,930)
The RTC’s ACE rapid transit service will feature fast transit service that includes many of the features of a light rail service, including dedicated lanes for much of the route; sleek, rail-like vehicles; level platform boarding; and ticket vending machines.  The ACE Green Line will be constructed on Boulder Highway.  The ACE Green Line will link downtown Las Vegas with Henderson.  It will feature dedicated transit lanes for much of the route, making service much faster than the traditional bus service that runs on Boulder Highway today.  The ACE Green Line is expected to be completed in 2011.