To alleviate tourist traffic and serve residents, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada has unveiled a long-term plan to invest billions in transit improvements including light rail and an expanded monorail.
Prompted by clogged traffic on the Las Vegas Strip and a desire to keep pace with transit-invested peer cities, "the 30-year transit plan released by the Regional Transportation Commission proposes light rail in the resort corridor, an expanded monorail that would connect the major convention centers and various roadway improvements, among other projects," according to an article by J.D. Morris.
Morris writes, "The goal is to prevent the Las Vegas area's roadways from becoming overwhelmed by the anticipated growth in visitation and resident population in future years [...] Currently envisioned to connect the Strip, downtown and the airport, light rail could cost from $2.1 billion to $12.5 billion. Jeremy Aguero of Applied Analysis said the costs vary widely depending on whether the system would be built at, above or below street level."
Despite questions around funding, the long-term investment might pay off. From the article: "the transit proposals would have a projected total economic impact of $56 billion to $178 billion, and they could create as many as 122,000 jobs, according to the commission."
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