A Nevada Senate panel is considering legislation to lay the groundwork for networking Las Vegas with an urban light rail system.
The measure currently before the Senate Transportation Committee, SB 201, would give local officials new authority to seek tax hikes or federal grants to finance an expanded portfolio of major transportation developments and would also allow them to explore new technology, including self-driving cars.
For two years members of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada have been drawing blueprints for the light rail and makeovers such as pedestrian bridges or wider sidewalks on the Strip. They’re also considering high-capacity transit options to connect Las Vegas residential neighborhoods and college campuses, hospitals and major shopping areas.
“If we can lead in the travel and tourism industry?and who can dispute that, accommodating more than 42 million visitors a year?I find it hard to believe our community cannot come together to help build a world-class transportation system,” said the bill’s sponsor, Las Vegas Democrat Mark Manendo.
SB 201 is not limited to Las Vegas and Clark County, but would also clear some hurdles to expand public transit in Reno and elsewhere.
The RTC estimated in December that a comprehensive infrastructure makeover such as that contemplated in the bill could cost as much as $26 billion. The light rail alone could cost up to $12.5 billion and could take 20-30 years to plan and build.
“Everybody is waiting to see what the federal government does in terms of transportation infrastructure investments,” said a commission spokeswoman.
President Donald Trump campaigned on investing massively in transportation infrastructure as part of his pitch for new jobs. He has backed away from the pitch in interviews since winning the White House and has not proposed a specific funding plan.
