Editorial: A new way to airport

Sunday, Dec. 10, 2006 | 7:44 a.m.

An extension from McCarran International Airport to the Strip may be the only thing that can save the ailing Las Vegas Monorail, and hopefully it will.

This past week Clark County commissioners gave the Monorail the OK to start moving forward with the $500 million plan, which the company pledged wouldn't cost taxpayers any money.

That pledge is a renewal of the one made when the Las Vegas Monorail Co. built the system, which is good given that the Monorail has struggled financially. The system's initial run in 2004 was shut down quickly after pieces fell off the trains, and the company has had continued financial problems. Ridership has been drastically lower than projected, and earlier this year the company suffered yet another setback when Fitch Ratings reduced the company's rating to "junk bond" status.

The one hope for the Monorail is the link to the airport. It's vitally important that other transportation options exist from McCarran as the airport and the Strip expand. The building boom on the Strip promises to bring at least 20,000 more hotel rooms and condominiums in the next six years, and there are no plans for new or wider roads along the Strip corridor.

Moving people to and from the Strip quickly is crucial, and the Monorail proposal is the only one on the table, although this is far from a done deal. The company still has to get a number of approvals and, even more challenging, it will have to secure private financing.

The proposal makes sense, and the commission was right to move forward on it.