Nevada continues to grow year after year with more than 75,000 people becoming Nevadans since 2019. While these residents are a welcomed boost to the already thriving economy of Nevada, it is necessary to begin adjusting for what that size of an increase means. The additional annual surge of people means more cars are added to the highways, more flights in the air and more trucks on the highways of Nevada carrying the resources needed to sustain the population growth.
In addition to people moving into Nevada, there have also been many huge events drawing additional tourists to Nevada, such as the most recent Super Bowl LVIII. One avenue to accommodating the growth in Nevada is to build additional highways, airports and other transportation systems. Many of Nevada’s companies are beginning to do just that, but that is only one solution to meet the needs of Nevadans and tourists alike. The other solution is to renovate, expand or otherwise transform and become more efficient with what is already achieving success in Nevada.
Public Transport
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is often synonymous with the bus system in Nevada, but their agency is responsible for far more than that. “We are the only agency in the country that oversees public transportation, traffic management, roadway design, construction funding, transportation and regional planning, all under one roof,” said MJ Maynard, CEO of RTC Southern Nevada. “We do a lot with very little; we make the most of the assets that we have, and we take our role managing taxpayer dollars very seriously and ensure every dollar is spent wisely,” said Maynard.
According to the Federal Transit Administration, RTC ranks as the 14th busiest bus system in the country. They have had one of the lowest costs per passenger for the last several years, earning them a ranking of number one in the country for nine of the last ten years. RTC has over 800 buses in their fleet, 415 regular transit buses, including double decker buses and 464 paratransit buses which assist Nevadans with disabilities.
Adding to the efficiency of their fleet are two hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and four battery-powered electric buses. “We see approximately 150,000 boardings per day, and 80 percent of those are employees getting to work,” said Maynard. Some of the other 20 percent can be attributed to their “Game Day Express,” a bus route specifically designed to ferry passengers to Vegas Golden Knights, UNLV Football and Las Vegas Raiders games. Maynard estimates that the Game Day Express has transported more than 170,000 local sports fans and this has equated to removing more than 108,000 vehicles from Southern Nevada roads.
Trucking Along
A vital piece of transportation in Nevada are the trucks that carry goods back and forth throughout the state. If anything happens to hinder or burden the trucking industry, there is a direct effect on Nevada’s economy. The Nevada Trucking Association is a nonprofit, member-driven organization that seeks to protect Nevada’s truckers from regulations and taxes that would overly burden them.
“We did a survey in the fall for our members and fuel was our members’ primary concern,” said Paul Enos, CEO of Nevada’s Trucking Association. Las Vegas enjoys a fuel price that is under the national average of $3.93 per gallon, but Reno has the second highest rate for diesel fuel outside of California at $4.74 per gallon.
According to Enos this is due to the regulatory laws in California on manufacturing clean diesel. Fuel prices are directly related to the profits truckers can make, so it is understandable that would be their chief concern. Truckers in Nevada are concerned over new regulations coming out of California which would require any trucks crossing the border and doing business to adhere to costly regulations.
However, according to Enos, the trucks today are far cleaner than they were 40 years ago. “If you take the emissions from [60] brand-new clean diesel truck[s] today, it would equal the emissions of [one] truck manufactured in 1988,” said Enos.
In the near future, truckers in Nevada will see new signage as they travel through the Las Vegas Valley.
Interstate 11 has been a project in the works for more than a decade, dating back to a planning meeting held between Nevada’s and Arizona’s Departments of Transportation. While it has been a long time coming, there will soon be significant steps forward with the project.
“We have sign packages ready and in the next few months the signs will be put up,” said Tracy Larkin-Thomason, director of Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). According to Larkin-Thomason, the signage will go up on US Highway 95 and continue to Kyle Canyon Road making the total mileage for I-11 increase to approximately 32 miles.
“We recognize that this is going to be a decades long endeavor, but we have made a lot of progress in the last decade, and we know the success of Las Vegas is dependent on goods being moved in,” said Larkin-Thomason.
Ultimately, I-11 seeks to unite Nevada and Arizona in a major way, providing multiple new opportunities for tourist traffic and another convenient route for truckers that connects the two southwestern states.
Planes and Trains
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), formerly McCarran International Airport, has been a mainstay in southern Nevada and is the main entry for locals and tourists who are travelling to and from Las Vegas by air. The airport has existed in one form or another, under several names, for more than a half century. It has undergone many changes to adjust to the growing population and popularity of the Silver State.
According to the Governor’s Office of Federal Assistance, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts is set to inject $1.8 billion into Nevada and will be used for a variety of projects like rebuilding and improving airports and roads.
“More than half of the visitors that come to enjoy everything Las Vegas has to offer arrive by air, and our record breaking 2023 showcases this demand,” said Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of aviation at Harry Reid International Airport.
One solution in the works for this increased demand is another airport in southern Nevada. “The need for a second commercial airport is nothing new and the increase in air travel has only validated the Clark County Department of Aviation’s efforts to resume planning for a second commercial airport in the Ivanpah Valley,” explained Vassiliadis.
This project is currently known as the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport (SNSA). Recently, the project took a huge leap forward when an Environmental Impact Statement was approved for the suggested site 30 miles south of Las Vegas. If the impact statement comes back successful, then SNSA will become part of the Clark County Aviation System.
“Looking to the future, this is part of a three-pronged plan – maximizing the operational efficiency at Harry Reid International, determining reliable ground transportation around the airport and lastly, the development of the second commercial airport,” said Vassiliadis.
Not only will SNSA pick up some of the commercial airline traffic, but it will also have a direct impact on the roadways around Harry Reid International Airport. Vassiliadis said, “Harry Reid International Airport is landlocked and also has a constricted airspace with the Department of Defense’s airspace to the northeast, so SNSA will bring the opportunity for additional airspace and will ultimately make for a smoother experience as our community continues to grow.”
Southern Nevada isn’t the only area that is getting much needed aviation updates and expansions. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport is beginning to implement its “MoreRNO” infrastructure plan, aimed at improving the travel experience in and around the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
“In some ways we are building a whole new airport up here. The growth in northern Nevada is well documented,” explained Daren Griffin, CEO of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. This multi-phase reconstruction project will begin with the roadways outside of the airport, as well as renovating the ticketing hall. According to Griffin, the new ticketing hall is set to open in April and will have many additional quality of life improvements, such as more bathrooms.
Phase one of MoreRNO is set to cost $50 million, and phase two will be an estimated $300 million. The second phase will focus on redoing the ground transportation areas around the airport, including the rental car area.
“Customers have spoken loud and clear, no one wants to get on a shuttle to go to retrieve their rental car,” said Griffin. Overall, the project is scheduled for a 2029 completion. It will include a 100 percent replacement of all aircraft gates with an estimated cost of $570 million.
Adding a new highway and updating air travel across the state isn’t the only way Nevada is looking to transform transportation. Brightline West is a 218-mile project that aims to connect Las Vegas with Los Angeles on an all-electric high-speed rail system that will be able to travel at more than 186 miles per hour.
“Ultimately, it will be a two-hour trip that will connect you to the metro link going into the greater Los Angeles area,” said Larkin-Thomason. NDOT and Brightline West were recently awarded $3 billion towards the planned $12 billion project from the Federal Department of Transportation.
Larkin-Thomason estimates that Brightline West could take millions of cars from highways per year when the construction is complete. Plans are in place to break ground early this year and the timeline for completion is an ambitious 2028.
“It is an aggressive timeline, but one that is fully intended to be met,” said Larkin-Thomason. The reason for the aggressive timeline centers around the 2028 Olympic Games being held in Los Angeles.
Larkin-Thomason explained, “Brightline could potentially place Las Vegas as a viable candidate to offer additional lodging for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games.” Since the Olympics draw an international crowd, Brightline would promise that Las Vegas will only be two hours away should any of the visiting tourists choose to expand their visit to Nevada.
Transporting Tourists
Las Vegas is no longer just a world-renown location for gambling and shows. “Over the decades, this destination has grown from the gaming capital of the world to the entertainment capital, and now it is the all-encompassing capital, including sports, of the world,” said Vassiliadis. Lately, Las Vegas has played host to several major events which have all affected transportation into and out of Nevada. “When the NFC and AFC championship teams were announced, several airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, Spirit and United added more direct flights, bringing more than 42,000 additional seats in and out of Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII,” said Vassiliadis.
Not only have these major events increased commercial air traffic, but they have also made an impact on the general aviation airports. According to Vassiliadis, the Henderson Executive and North Las Vegas airports both saw previously unseen levels of private jet activity for Super Bowl LVIII and Formula 1. Even though records seem to be breaking every single year, Nevada’s transportation agencies are rising to the challenge.
“There is great collaboration between the resorts through the traffic operations center, diverting traffic as needed to other routes,” said Larkin-Thomason. “Large events have helped elevate the transit service in southern Nevada,” said Maynard. Super Bowl LVIII seemed like a perfect opportunity to showcase the efficiency of RTC’s Game Day Express, however Maynard chose a different service for those buses.
“RTC Southern Nevada utilized our buses to assist volunteers and employees for Super Bowl LVIII, as well as lending a hand to assist the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department,” said Maynard.
Nevada continues to meet every transportation challenge head-on. As the state becomes more visible on the world-stage, transportation becomes even more important to the region.
