Study: Rapid transit project on Maryland Parkway cutting travelers' commute times

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español. By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact) Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 | 2 a.m. Home to 109,000 jobs and 63,000 residents on its 12.5‑mile length, Maryland Parkway ranks as one of Southern Nevada’s most critical corridors, and a recent nationalist lawsuit survey says national investments are driving a 20% chopped in transit commute times along the cardinal Las Vegas artery. The Transportation Construction Coalition’s investigation tracks the effects of the $378‑cardinal Maryland Parkway Bus Rapid Transit overhaul, which hit a major milestone Sunday with the motorboat of the Red Line. Replacing the former Route 109, the zero‑emission fleet and dedicated transit lanes constitute a sweeping redesign of the corridor linking downtown Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Medical District, Sunrise Hospital, UNLV and Harry Reid International Airport. The Red Line operates high‑capacity, hydrogen substance compartment buses every 12 minutes during daytime hours, seven days a week. Dedicated transit lanes along a 7.3‑mile agelong stretch are intended to bypass wide postulation congestion and trim transit delays for a route that serves roughly 9,000 regular autobus riders. Funded through a combination of the national Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and section substance gross indexing, the project broke ground in August 2024. To create the accelerated transit corridor, crews eliminated one wide question lane in each direction on Maryland Parkway, shrinking the roadway from three lanes to two lanes plus a dedicated autobus lane—a change that affects a daily flow of 35,000 vehicles. “Maryland Parkway is our astir productive transit way extracurricular of Las Vegas Boulevard, and truthful that’s truly wherefore this task is truthful important to truly remake the corridor to lucifer however the assemblage uses it,” Andrew Kjellman, lawman CEO of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, said last month. Not every segment includes dedicated autobus lanes. In the Medical District on Alta Drive, spatial constraints limit that option, while in other areas—such as Carson Avenue—on‑street parking was removed to make room for the new route. Work remains active on portions of the alignment. Approximately four miles of the corridor, between Sahara Avenue and Russell Road, still require roadway and minor work due to adjacent project coordination, utility relocations and site conditions. Officials noted that motorists and transit riders in that stretch will experience ongoing construction, though access to businesses and transit stays open. The project has visibly reshaped Maryland Parkway fronting UNLV’s main campus, where campus leaders anticipate significant commuter benefits. UNLV Interim President Chris Heavey told the Sun the campus was “very excited” to see the transit strategy operational, describing it as a major step forward for campus access. The Red Line’s launch coincided with the start of UNLV’s fall semester, as tens of thousands of students returned to campus Monday. The RTC committee chose the autobus‑accelerated transit approach in 2019 after rejecting a proposed light‑rail alternative for the corridor. Officials favored autobus‑accelerated transit for its lower costs and operational flexibility, enabling the agency to adjust routes and stops as transit demand evolves. The discarded light‑rail link carried an estimated $1‑cardinal price tag and would have placed tracks in the curb lanes of Maryland Parkway. Federal officials have noted that light‑rail remains a possibility for future valley corridors as national aid programs for rail systems expand. According to the TCC, the Maryland Parkway lawsuit survey shows how sustained national investment can help fast‑growing metropolitan areas modernize aging transit systems amid the pressure of rapid population growth. The coalition, founded in 1996 to focus on national surface transportation policy, consists of 33 national associations and labor unions co‑chaired by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association and the Associated General Contractors of America.