Construction to begin in fall on Ace bus route

By Jeff Pope

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 | 11:44 p.m.

Construction will begin on the Ace Boulder Highway bus route this fall, one year earlier than planned because of an infusion of more than $19 million in federal economic stimulus funds.

The federal money allows the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to start sooner on the $48 million project and have it up and running in early 2011, said Tracy Bower, RTC director of Government Affairs.

The service will transport riders from downtown Las Vegas to Henderson via Boulder Highway faster than the current bus system.

“The idea here is to speed up travel by having a limited number of stops,” said David Swallow, RTC director of engineering.

There will be 23 stops between 8th Street and Horizon Drive.

Ace is similar to a light rail system in look and feel but runs on the road rather than rails.

Boulder Highway will be the second Ace route following the one under construction downtown.

Unlike the downtown route in which the vehicles have a dedicated lane in the center of the road, the vehicles will travel in dedicated lanes along the right side of Boulder Highway from 8th Street to Tropicana Avenue and will be in mixed traffic the rest of the way.

The RTC has plans to add dedicated lanes the entire 15-mile route and will build them when funds are available and traffic creates the need, Bower said.

The RTC took other measures to reduce the time spent at stops. The shelters are on raised platforms so riders can get on and off quickly and all fares will be paid for ahead of time at automated ticket dispensers in the shelters.

“Our operations are enhanced by transit signal priority, so that traffic signals are recognizing that vehicles are coming,” Swallow said. “We use the same type of systems that emergency vehicles use, not to preempt the signal, but just to kind of communicate with it to have a little extra green time to help facilitate coaches getting through the intersection.”

The shelters will be topped with solar panels and have vines climbing the walls that will help to reduce heat around them, Bower said.

Jeff Pope can be reached at 259-8836 or [email protected] .