Downtown bus hub to be replaced

Transportation center among projects targeted by $5 million federal boost

jenna dosch/ViewPlans to replace the existing Downtown Transportation Center are in the design phase. jenna dosch/ViewRegina Burrell waits for a bus at the Downtown Transportation Center, 300 N. Casino Center Drive. Advertisement

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada recently received $5 million in federal funding from the Department of Transportation earlier this month. The money will be used to finance new buses, facilities and rejuvenate fatigued services, commission officials said.

Replacing the Downtown Transportation Center, 300 N. Casino Center Drive, is among planned projects.

"This funding will go a long way, and will certainly be put to good use," said Tracy Bower, commission director of government affairs. "There are a lot of exciting things on the horizon for public transportation in Southern Nevada."

The funds will impact projects in various stages and in a variety of ways, including and beginning with the construction of more park and ride locations, according to Bower.

"There are plans to add new park and rides in locations across the city," Bower said. "To make public transportation more accessible for people who live or work in parts of town that may be considered more outlying than others."

The Downtown Transportation Center has become a sort of transportation hub for residents who may have missed connections. Most routes begin and end at the station.

"If you need to make a connection that you can't anyplace else, if routes don't intersect, the hub is where you would go to make that connection," Bower said. "It's a vital tool in the services that we provide. Kind of like a home base."

The station's current downtown location is a building owned and operated by the city of Las Vegas, but according to Bower, plans to build a new facility are already in the design phase.

"Some of the funding we received will go toward forwarding this project," Bower said. "Although we are still in the early stages, the plans to create a hub with a fresh, clean feeling and new amenities is under way. At that location, building management and upkeep will be under RTC jurisdiction."

Las Vegas resident Indra Thowancha has been using the transit system for the last three years, and said that her biggest complaints to date have been two-fold.

"I just think that routes need to be more plentiful and connections should be easier," she said. "I really have to go out of my way to make connections, and it can be exhausting."

Thowancha said that until recently, some of the older buses in the fleet left something to be desired in the realm of comfort.

"In the summer, it's the worst," she said. "I know there's air conditioning on the buses, but it didn't circulate very well on some of them, and it gets hot pretty fast in the afternoons. I'm starting to see newer buses with better ventilation pop up now, though, so that's good."

Until recently, the buses running in Clark County were among the oldest fleet in the nation, a reality that officials began to remedy earlier this year.

The commission already has purchased a few hundred new buses and may have a need for more in the near future, Bower said.

"We've already added a number of new buses to our fleet, including new hybrid and natural gas vehicles," Bower said. "We're also making sure that all air-conditioning systems are up to par in an effort to ensure that our riders will be as comfortable as possible."

Nevada Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., requested the funding on behalf of the commission.

The money was designated for the commission to implement improvements that will create a more streamlined service, making public transportation an option for more Las Vegas residents, according to Ensign.

"Funding for additional buses and bus facilities will allow more people to take advantage of mass transit," Ensign said. "Alternative transportation is critical as Southern Nevadans face record high gas prices. This is the perfect time to boost bus transportation and make it more accessible for residents across the valley."

The commission plans to implement new projects, improve upon existing services and usher along projects such as the ACE Downtown Connector Rapid Transit Project, which will connect the downtown area with Henderson, North Las Vegas and the Strip, said Bower.

"We will continue to improve and expand our system in terms of routes and services to meet the needs of the community we serve," Bower said. "The new funding we've received will aid in our mission to deliver the best services and public transportation available."

For more information, visit www.rtcsouthernnevada.com.