Millions of dollars in federal money will help local transportation officials plan for the future of Charleston Boulevard, one that could include the Las Vegas Valley’s first light rail line.
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) $5.9 million from the bipartisan infrastructure bill to complete the planning, analysis of alternatives, preliminary engineering and environmental clearance for a nearly 17-mile high-capacity transportation line through Charleston.
Route 206 is one of the busiest lines in the RTC system, connecting the east side at one end and downtown Summerlin at the west end through Charleston.
The analysis will focus on downtown transportation, which may be light rail or bus rapid transit, and on adding full street elements, such as dedicated bike lanes, wider sidewalks, covered bus shelters, and better lighting.
“Making sure that we can deal with what is a national crisis: reducing the number of fatalities on the roads,” US Department of Transportation Under Secretary Christopher Coes said during a visit Thursday to the School of Medicine. Kirk Kerkorian of UNLV.
improve access
US Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada, agreed with Coes’s concerns, noting that incorporating full street elements would work especially well along the Charleston corridor, where pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities often occur in areas from the center of the city that crosses the route.
“It’s great that all the money is going not to expand access, but to improve it,” Titus said during the event. “It takes people to work, to school and to the medical center. Having that mass transit option is something we need because some people don’t have a car and can’t get there any other way.”
In 2021, the city of Las Vegas announced that it had reached an agreement with the private company Axios to study whether light rail would work in the Charleston corridor. That deal has now ended and with it the city’s partnership with Axios.
The Charleston project will be exclusively public in its current version, but all those involved are open to a possible public-private collaboration, should it arise.
Light rail was studied as a possible option for the Maryland Parkway corridor between Russell Road, near Harry Reid International Airport, and downtown. The estimated cost of one billion dollars and the lack of federal funding for transportation at the time led the RTC Board of Directors to opt for bus rapid transit, at a cost of $345 million.
This is a bus rapid transit system with dedicated bus lanes that can be used as turn lanes when buses are not running in them. According to the RTC, work on the Maryland Parkway BRT project is scheduled to begin early next year. Buses on BRT routes are 60 feet long and can carry up to 90 passengers. The stations are separated by a third of a mile and service is more frequent than on traditional bus lines.
When the city of Las Vegas announced its now-defunct partnership with Axios in connection with the Charleston light rail investigation, it was noted that the estimated price tag was between $2 billion and $3 billion. A schedule is not yet available as to when the preferred transportation option will be chosen and when construction will begin.
Despite being a more expensive option, Clark County Commissioner and RTC Board Chairman Justin Jones said light rail is a viable option this time around because of the money available for transportation projects, largely part thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Connectivity, key
“How do we fit a bus system that we already know fits in there and how does a light rail system fit in there?” Jones said. “The cost also comes into play. Without a doubt, the Maryland Expressway project was a very important factor. Much of the federal funding that would have been available in previous administrations was withdrawn during the Trump administration. I think we’ll take a look at that and what makes the most sense with this corridor and make sure it has connectivity to some of those other routes.”
Key connections that are accessible from the Charleston route include Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas Boulevard, Downtown Bonneville Station, Downtown Summerlin, Red Rock Canyon, and East Las Vegas.
Having a high-capacity option could open up new opportunities for area residents, Titus said.
“Many of the kids in my district, on the east side, have never been to Red Rock Canyon and now this will allow them to get out and see what’s beyond their own neighborhood,” Titus said. “Maybe people come the other way as well, to take advantage of some of the ethnographic activities, events and restaurants on our side of town.”
