RTC WEIGHING ITS FUTURE PUBLIC TRANSIT OPTIONS

companies, “certainly there’s going to be a blending and a change in what the role of public transit is for a community,” Quigley said during the presentation.

The RTC’S future plan focuses heavily on routes along Las Vegas Boulevard and Maryland Parkway, which have some of the highest ridership numbers.

For Maryland Parkway, three options have been discussed for the 8.7-mile loop connecting Mccarran International Airport and downtown: Enhancing the existing transit system, a bus rapid transit system with a dedicated lane, and a light rail system.

Estimated costs are $750 million for light rail, $335 million for bus rapid transit, and $30 million to upgrade the existing system. Light rail would cost $220 an hour to operate and maintain, while bus rapid transit would run about $96 an hour.

Federal grants could finance up to 70 percent of whichever option is chosen, said Guy Hobbs, managing director of Hobbs, Ong and Associates, a project consultant for the RTC. After the RTC narrows its plan later this year, financing talks will ramp up.

“There will be talks going on for the next year, not only locally, but with the federal government, related to how would this be funded after we decide as a community if this is what we want to move forward with,” Quigley said.