Funds for transportation system, Henderson roadwork approved

Thursday, June 21, 2001 | 10:34 a.m.

Funding for a futuristic transportation system and for Henderson road expansions has cleared the House Transportation Appropriations subcommittee and appears to be on its way to final approval.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and a member of the subcommittee, said a portion of the bill that is headed to the full House for a vote provides $4.5 million for a "rubber-tire rail" system to run along the Las Vegas Boulevard North Corridor.

The corridor, which runs from Bruce Street to Craig Road, handles more than 8,000 people per day, and is the third-busiest in the Citizens Area Transit bus system.

The bill would help fund the purchase of five futuristic Civis Systems' buses that look and, for passengers, feel a lot like a light-rail subway system, said Ingrid Reisman, spokesman for the Regional Transportation Commission, which operates the bus system.

The vehicles use an environmentally friendly diesel-electric engine and can carry up to 168 passengers, with four points of entry and exit. Reisman said the passengers can quickly get on and off the Civis Systems' buses, which is particularly important to people with disabilities.

The "Bus Rapid Transit Project" will begin using one of the buses next summer, Reisman said. If the pilot project goes well, five more of the buses should be on the roads by summer 2003.

In other ground transportation funding, Berkley said she has secured $8 million for construction of the St. Rose Parkway project in Henderson. The project proposes to expand St. Rose Parkway and connect the parkway with Interstate 15, Henderson and, through Spencer Street, with Interstate 215 -- the beltway.

The bill also would include $1 million for work on the beltway in Henderson.