Plans for monorail stretch across LV Valley

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, March 15, 2001 | 11:34 a.m.

With the Las Vegas Valley's first significant monorail system securely on track, politicians are talking seriously about building park-and-ride stations and stretching the network into neighborhood communities.

Grandiose monorail proposals in Southern Nevada have dated back to the 1960s and have ranged from realistic to ridiculous, at one time even including a Miss Monorail contest to generate excitement.

But before longtime residents shake their heads at the latest go, veteran Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury has a message: This time, talks are for real.

Woodbury said the private Las Vegas Monorail Company's success in securing a $650 million tax-free state bond last year was a key element for larger plans for a mass-transit system in the booming valley.

"That gave us a big shot in the arm," Woodbury said. "I always thought there would have to be a big private component to make this happen, and that's why I fought so hard to make it happen. Now that shows everyone it's a reality."

Woodbury hopes a time-frame will be in place by the end of the year, along with a method of financing. His goal is to begin construction of the expanded system by 2004 -- the year the Strip monorail is expected to be completed.

With a combination of federal funding, private donations -- primarily from Las Vegas Strip properties -- and fare box revenues, proponents are hopeful they won't have to lean too heavily on local taxpayers.

The transit system would mostly benefit tourists and residents who work along the Strip or frequent the resort corridor, Woodbury said.

"The only way we can afford it is to give the average citizen the benefits of it; giving them the incentive they need to get out of their vehicles,"Woodbury said. "The only way to get mass transit is if it's affordable and accessible."

The Las Vegas Monorail Company broke ground on a 3.9-mile system late last year.

The rail will extend from the existing stretch between the MGM Grand and Bally's hotel-casino. The newest leg of the system continues along the east side of the Strip to Sands Avenue, then north on Paradise Road to the Sahara.

Woodbury said the monorail will eventually be brought to the west side of the Strip near the Stardust hotel-casino and into downtown Las Vegas. In addition to reaching into residential communities, the monorail is expected to connect with McCarran International Airport.

Woodbury, an 18-year veteran of the commission, visited Carson City Monday and told state legislators the monorail expansion is an important component of the county's plan to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards.

"In the future we'll have absolute gridlock if we don't have ways of getting people out of their vehicles," Woodbury said. "It also benefits people who want to drive from one side of town to the other because there will be fewer people competing for freeways and road space."

The monorail is expected to cost about $100 million per mile.

As with other monorail plans, this one will also face opposition.

Jon Twichell, the California-based transportation consultant who made himself known to Clark County officials during debates about the Strip system, believes the monorail was a coup for transportation consultant Bob Broadbent, who heads the project, and his company.

"It's absolutely absurd," Twichell said of expansion plans. "They can't get away with calling those things profitable. These kinds of scams have reached the end of the line."

Twichell has argued repeatedly that the maintenance and operation of a monorail system cannot be funded through fare box revenues. He said failing toll roads nationwide offer proof that commuters would rather not pay.