$21 billion transportation plan for 20 years unveiled

Jeffrey Libby

Friday, Dec. 15, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

In the interests of meeting a January deadline for federal funding, the Regional Transportation Commission approved Thursday without comment three-year and 25-year plans expected to slow the increase of traffic congestion in the Las Vegas Valley.

RTC planners project that the two plans will cost $3.5 billion over the next three years and $21 billion over the next 25 years in federal, state and local funds.

As required by federal law, the plans claim to achieve a net reduction in the air pollution caused by dust from dirt roads and carbon monoxide emissions from vehicles.

But even with the billions spent for additional and expanded roadways and improvements to mass transit, planners expect more commuters to be idled over more miles by 2025.

In that year, the stop-and-go traffic is expected to stretch through 2,289 miles of the Las Vegas metropolitan area between the peak hours of 4 and 6 p.m. In 1999, commuters saw just 341 miles of traffic congestion during peak hours.

That increased traffic congestion comes despite a projected 77 percent increase in the number of commuters using mass transit by 2025. In that year 230,000 commuters are expected to ride buses and fixed-rail transportation systems on a daily basis. In 2000, about 130,000 commuters rode buses daily.

The minimal impact can most likely be attributed to an expected 71 percent increase in the Clark County population. By 2025, planners estimate that the valley will have nearly doubled in size, from 1.4 million people to 2.4 million.

"We've done the best we can with the resources we have and the time frame we're under," said Bryan Nix, a RTC board member and Boulder City councilman. "All-in-all it's a good plan."

Robert Hall, of the Nevada Environmental Coalition, didn't agree.

The sole person to speak against the two plans at Thursday's meeting, Hall argued that the transportation commission has failed to keep the public reasonably informed of its actions. The commission has also failed to comply with federal laws, he said.

Jessica Hodge, a conservationist with the Sierra Club, also attended the meeting, but did not speak. Afterwards, she said, "We need to look aggressively at solutions to traffic and not keep putting them off. A monorail on the Strip just isn't going to do it."

The Sierra Club submitted a 100-page document to the RTC at a public hearing on Monday outlining concerns the group says have not been addressed in either plan. Among those concerns are lingering questions as to how data was gathered and the health risks posed by the expansion of roadways.

Both Hall's group and the conservation group have threatened to sue the state planning agency.

The plans approved Thursday by the RTC go before the state Department of Transportation in the next few days for a second approval. From there they will be sent to the Federal Highway Administration for final approval.

The plans must be approved before Jan. 13, the day the RTC's current approved plan expires. On that day, federal funding would be suspended for all projects not yet underway.

Ingrid Yocum, spokeswoman for RTC, said she sees no indication that should happen.

Both environmental groups said, however, that they intend to send documentation of their concerns onto the Federal Highway Administration as well.