Buttigieg celebrates start of major Maryland Parkway transit overhaul in Las Vegas (2024)

By Grace Da Rocha (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 | 2 a.m.

The population growth in Las Vegas presents many challenges, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told a crowd Monday assembled near the Boulevard Mall on Maryland Parkway in central Las Vegas.

One of the most significant? Expanding transportation.

That will eventually become a little easier after the completion of the $378 million Maryland Parkway Bus Rapid Transit project, he said. Buttigieg was in town to celebrate the start of construction on the project that will transform Maryland Parkway by expanding the street and adding more bus infrastructure.

“It makes it vitally important to expand access to transportation that is fast, that is affordable, that is reliable, and that is what the leaders joining us here are delivering in partnership with our department,” said Buttigieg, whose office in April awarded the Regional Transportation Commission a $149.9 million grant to support the project. “We are saving people money, we are saving people time, we are better at connecting this community.”

Buttigieg called the project a “win-win” for transit riders and vehicular commuters, saying it would not only bring faster and more reliable buses, but ease congestion by taking more cars off the road. It is slated to be completed in 2026.

Considered a “vital corridor for the Las Vegas Valley,” the project will upgrade 12.5miles of the Maryland Parkway between the Las Vegas Medical District and South Strip Transfer Terminal off Gillespie Street and Sunset Road. It will consist of 42 bus shelters with 24-hour service, seven days a week, in addition to curbside bus lanes on each side of the road, improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities and more greenery.

It will also add 15 more hydrogen-powered buses to the RTC’s existing fleet to be used by the more than 80,000 workers employed in the area, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The move is an effort to make streets safer by providing wider sidewalks, dedicated bus and bicycle lanes and more lighting. It will also bring sustainable buses and increase shade while growing accessibility by providing more frequent buses.

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., whose district includes Maryland Parkway, said the road was “like a major artery across the valley,” and that it made sense to “bring it up to today” due to the region’s growth.

“There are more people living here, more people shopping here, more people going to the doctor here, more people going to the university here. So, upgrading and improving and updating Maryland Parkway is just so important,” said Titus, who attended the event along with fellow U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford and Susie Lee, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, all Nevada Democrats. “Transportation is the key to every aspect of quality of life.”

The project was initially pitched as a light rail system that would connect Harry Reid International Airport and the Medical District. Light rail lines would have been located on each side of Maryland Parkway nearest the curb, but the RTC’s board struck down the $1 billion proposal in 2019.

The bus rapid transit system was introduced as a more flexible option allowing for simpler shifting of bus stops and travel routes as well as lower maintenance costs.

But light rail options are not off the table as the Department of Transportation begins to support more of these projects.

Buttigieg said it’s no coincidence that the Brightline West train — which will connect Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, a suburb on the outskirts of Los Angeles — broke ground here. The Department of Transportation awarded the Nevada Department of Transportation and Brightline West $3 billion for the project.

Maryland Parkway is home to about 63,000 residents and 109,000 jobs as of August 2024, the RTC said. It also sees around 9,000 transit riders and 35,000 vehicles a day, it added.

The first of two legs of construction are split into three phases and projected to be completed in the spring of 2025. Work will commence from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sahara Avenue and Oakey Boulevard with two lanes open in each direction all day.

Construction at Bonneville Avenue near Martin Luther King Boulevard goes from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., limiting the road to two lanes in each direction during the day and one lane open in each direction at night. Work on Wellness Way at Shadow Lane occurs from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. with one lane open in each direction all day, but on-street parking has been completely removed.

Funding for the project has come from several sources, including Clark County and the Federal Transit Administration under the Department of Transportation — which awarded the grant with funding from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“This is a project that helps support our entire region,” Horsford said. “Let’s continue to build up our communities, not tear them down; continue to bring people together through coalition, not divide us.”

Community members can stay informed of traffic and construction updates by signing up on the RTC website.

[emailprotected] / 702-948-7854 /@gracedarocha