FTA 13-04
Contact: Kim Riddle
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Thursday, May 13, 2004

U.S. Department of Transportation Gives Go-Ahead For Las Vegas Resort Corridor and Downtown Monorail Extension To Begin Final Design

The U.S. Department of Transportation today gave the green light for final design work to begin on Phase II of the Las Vegas monorail project, which will ultimately connect the existing system running along the Strip to downtown Las Vegas.

Today’s action launches the last phase of project development before construction of the proposed 2.3-mile extension, sponsored by the Las Vegas Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). The decision was announced at a news conference held in Las Vegas today by Martin Whitmer, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Department of Transportation.

“Today we gave the go ahead to begin final design of the next stretch of the monorail system that will serve visitors and residents in Las Vegas. The Department’s approval of this request moves forward an important project that holds exciting promise for the city,” Whitmer said.

Phase II of the Las Vegas Resort Corridor Project will include a 2.3-mile extension of the existing four-mile monorail system. The proposed project will serve the northern portion of the strip and the old Las Vegas central business district, which has over 85,000 employees and 30,000 households.

The Department’s Federal Transit Administration approved RTC’s entry into Preliminary Engineering in April 2003. The final design phase includes the preparation of final construction plans, detailed specifications, construction cost estimates and bid documents. The Las Vegas Resort Monorail project received a “Recommended” rating in the last annual New Starts report issued by the FTA.

Briefing Room