Transit
Rolling the dice on rail safety: Nevada’s high-stakes legislative gamble
As ambitious rail projects like Brightline West push forward, Nevada stands at a critical crossroads in terms of infrastructure growth and rail safety. It’s been a year since Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed Assembly Bill 456—a bill that aimed to strengthen rail safety protocols—and the risks that haunt our tracks are not just lingering; they are […]
Cool. Now do transit for people who live here.
Both of the state’s U.S. Senators, three-fourths of Nevada’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, your governor, and several lesser mortals lined up together to get their pictures taken Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a high-speed train. Scheduled to begin operating in 2028, the Brightline train […]
New DOT partnership will streamline airline consumer complaints
A new partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation and a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general aims to streamline efforts to resolve airline consumer complaints. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the program at Denver International Airport Tuesday. The program comes in response to the record numbers of airline […]
RTC foresees future revenue shortfall if gas tax indexing allowed to expire
The future trajectory of revenue needed to maintain Southern Nevada roadways is “not a good one” as the potential expiration of a component of the gas tax could lead to funding shortfalls, Clark County Commissioners were told Tuesday. M.J. Maynard, the CEO with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, gave commissioners an overview of […]
NV gets $150M for enhanced public transit along Maryland Parkway corridor
Las Vegas was awarded nearly $150 million in federal funding for a transportation project designed to create more efficient, frequent, and speedier bus transit between the Harry Reid International Airport and the Las Vegas Medical District in the north. The 13-mile Maryland Parkway Bus Rapid Transit project represents the largest single transit investment the Regional […]
State lawmakers urged to consider authorizing automated traffic enforcement
The Nevada Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety urged state lawmakers Wednesday to consider legislation authorizing the use of speeding and red light cameras. Critics warned automated ticketing of motorists via photos singles out populations, and can become more of a revenue model for governments and system vendors than a solution to traffic safety. Lawmakers during […]
Millions for kids’ safety go to I-80 sound wall instead
It sounds absurd. There is an attempt to quietly allocate millions of dollars meant for kids’ school safety in Washoe County to an Interstate 80 sound wall instead. No one would have noticed if it weren’t for one guy on the little-known Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) Citizen’s Micromodal Advisory Committee (CMAC). That committee […]
Dirty air calls for cars powered by clean energy, say advocates
Clean air and clean energy advocates are calling on the Biden administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enact the strongest standards possible to reduce emissions from vehicles beginning with 2027 models in an effort to improve health and combat climate change. Last year the EPA announced proposed standards to be phased in on […]
Biden administration picks airports for nearly $1 billion in terminal upgrades
The Biden administration will send close to $1 billion to airports across the country to upgrade terminal facilities, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday. The $970 million in grants will go to 144 airports in 44 states and three territories. Earmarked for terminal improvements, Buttigieg and other administration officials said the grants would fund projects […]
Feds approve $2.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds for Las Vegas-to-California high-speed rail
The U.S. Department of Transportation has authorized $2.5 billion in private activity bonds to help finance the Brightline high-speed rail project connecting Las Vegas and Southern California, the department announced Tuesday. Bondholders don’t pay federal taxes on interest earned from private activity bonds, and so are willing to accept lower rates of return when they […]
Lombardo joins fellow GOP governors to oppose proposed auto emission standards
Gov. Joe Lombardo and 15 other Republican governors called on Pres. Joe Biden Monday to “change course on your current mandate that two out of every three vehicles be battery electrics by 2032.” In their letter, the governors cite a December fact sheet from the White House. However, the White House document the letter cites […]
Who’s protecting Tahoe? Regulatory agency enamored with development, say critics
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, charged since 1969 with protecting Lake Tahoe from overdevelopment, has lost sight of its mission and lacks accountability according to a number of California and Nevada residents, including Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar, a member of the TRPA’s governing board. Aguilar is the only member of the 15-person board […]