Commuter plan extends to NLV

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 | 11:30 a.m.

Getting from one end of the valley in Henderson to the other end in North Las Vegas without hitting traffic is nearly impossible, especially if you're passing by the Strip.

A much-discussed light-rail commuter line proposed to run from the Nevada State College at Henderson to downtown Las Vegas would carry commuters past much of that traffic. And now a second phase is being studied, an addition to the commuter line that would extend it to North Las Vegas using train or bus service.

The proposed extension of the commuter line to North Las Vegas is given a realistic chance of being built; the Henderson-to-downtown Las Vegas phase is a lock to happen, top Clark County government and regional transportation officials said.

The officials predicted that the first phase will be completed by 2008, with the proposed extension to North Las Vegas to be completed by 2014, and possibly as soon as 2012.

North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon said extending the proposed commuter line to a planned satellite campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, north of the Las Vegas Beltway would be "awesome."

The entire 31-mile line, which a regional planning official said could cost $700 million, would connect the satellite campus to other schools in the Las Vegas Valley. Those connections could only help the North Las Vegas campus succeed, Montandon said.

"Someday, maybe 20 years from now, that campus will be larger than the main campus is now, and the connectivity will make that better," Montandon said.

Henderson City Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers said the proposed commuter line would make trips into the city easier, whether it's for a workday meeting or night on the town.

"Imagine on weekends you could eat at the Bellagio or go to a show at the House of Blues and you don't even have to worry about anything," Cyphers said. "You just take the ride home."

A Regional Transportation Commission study has been looking at the southern link from Henderson to downtown Las Vegas since last summer. The possible northern leg of the line was added to the study about three or four months ago at the request of North Las Vegas officials, RTC Assistant Planning Manager Bruce Turner said.

North Las Vegas Councilwoman Shari Buck, the city's representative on the RTC board, said government leaders need to consider a northern leg of the transit system so they can start planning for it.

"If we don't look at this now we'll be running out of land," Buck said, referring to the property that would be needed to put a rail or other transit line on. She said that while the route through Henderson is along an existing rail line, much of the North Las Vegas route is not, making it unclear whether a train, bus, both -- or something else -- would carry passengers along the proposed commuter line.

The current study, which focuses on whether there is demand for the proposed commuter line, is expected to be done by June 30, Turner said. Subsequent studies and planning could take another two to three years.

Turner said the southern part of the transit line, from Henderson to downtown Las Vegas, could be running by the end of 2008. The North Las Vegas piece of the line is considered phase two of the project and would be done later, he said.

RTC General Manager Jacob Snow said the entire transit line could be completed in eight to 10 years.

Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, chairman of the RTC board, said he, too, expects a Henderson to North Las Vegas connection will be up and running within 10 years.

"We're going to do it, and you can go to the bank with that," Woodbury, who represents Henderson, said of the Henderson piece of the line.

He said the North Las Vegas leg of the line is very realistic as well.

"The UNLV expansion will make it necessary," he said. "I could also see a future phase that goes to Boulder City."

Snow said preliminary estimates for the project put the cost of a line from North Las Vegas to Henderson at $700 million. A transit line from Henderson to downtown Las Vegas could cost $180 million, or $340 million if double tracks are built, he said.

Snow and Woodbury said funding for the project would likely come from the federal government and proceeds from government land sales through the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.

Funds could also come from the $2.7 billion transportation tax package supported by Question 10 in 2002 and by state lawmakers in 2003.

The Question 10 monies could be used to attract federal matching funds, RTC spokeswoman Sue Christiansen said.

If the plans go ahead, the current public bus system, the monorail, and Metropolitan Area Express, or MAX, system, and the north-south transit system would all interconnect -- with the main hub in downtown Las Vegas, just south of the Plaza hotel on Main Street.

In addition to the main north-south transit line being studied, the RTC is also looking at a route along existing rail lines from downtown Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a route that would only be used for special events.

The north-south line would not go to Nellis Air Force Base because the base will be served by the MAX system, which is a hybrid of a light-rail train and bus that will use dedicated lanes to go up and down Las Vegas Boulevard between downtown Las Vegas and Nellis. The MAX system is expected to begin operating this summer.