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By Kyle B. Hansen (contact) 
Monday, Feb. 7, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.
Beyond the Sun
Sun Coverage
Construction on Sahara Avenue for a new bus rapid transit line will restrict lanes on the road beginning Monday, officials said.
One lane of Sahara Avenue in each direction will be closed from Boulder Highway to Las Vegas Boulevard beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, the Regional Transportation Commission said.
Two lanes of the busy thoroughfare will remain open during construction, officials said.
The RTC is adding a bus-only lane to the right shoulder of parts of Sahara Avenue for a new express bus line, similar to the one now operating on Las Vegas Boulevard North in North Las Vegas and another under construction on Boulder Highway.
The new lane is being built in what is now the breakdown lane on the shoulder of the road, so when the project is finished, motorists will still have the same number of lanes as they did before the bus lane was added.
Work will be occurring around the clock on the project, which will eventually stretch from Boulder Highway in the eastern valley to Hualapai Way on the western edge of Las Vegas.
The project is schedule for completion early next year.
To prepare for the new route, crews will be milling the top layer of Sahara, laying new asphalt and restriping the road. They will also be installing shelters at some of the bus stops and putting in landscaping in parts of the median and along some sidewalks.
The $40 million project is mostly funded by $34.4 million in federal stimulus money.
The Las Vegas RTC does a great job on bus public transportation.
Now if they could take over the monorail-extend the line to the air port and downtown -AND speed the thin up (it is way too slow)
This would be a great addition to the RTC.
Have they thought about what will happen if someone breaks down since they are taking that lane. I hope they do a better job explaining and getting the word out on the rules then they did express lanes or meters.