Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed a massive new spending package designed to improve, among other things, plane, train and automobile travel across the country.

So what impact will it have on Southern Nevada?

That's this week on Nevada Week.

♪♪♪ Support for Nevada Week is provided by Senator William H. Hernstadt and additional supporting sponsors.

(Kipp Ortenburger) Welcome to Nevada Week.

The recently passed infrastructure package is a bipartisan bill that pours billions of dollars into everything from airports and rail lines to bridges and roads.

Well, this week on Nevada Week, we're going to look at a few facets of this massive bill related to transportation and what its impact could be on Southern Nevada.

We'll also talk to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto about how she envisions it making a difference.

But we start with the railroad.

The Nevada Week team looked at what rail lines could mean to Southern Nevada.

America's railway system is getting a big economic boost.

The recently approved $2 trillion infrastructure package will invest $66 billion into America's railroads.

(Shashi Nambisan) These are some of the largest investments we have seen ever in the history of the nation.

This funding reflects the critical role trains currently play in the country's transportation system and the role they could play in the future.

In moving freight, railroads play a tremendous role across the country, and we've heard about the supply chain issues and log jams at seaports where container ships come and are waiting to be berthed to offload the containers.

Rail plays a big part in moving these containers from these ports to various destinations across the country.

In the past railroads were a primary mode for moving both freight and travelers across the United States.

Las Vegas started out as a train stop, but today there are no passenger train stops in the city.

If funding for passenger railways makes its way to Las Vegas, is there actually a need for new trains here?

If and when there's a high-speed rail built or even a regular train, if we make it more comfortable and affordable, a lot more people will come.

And that means more tourism and more jobs.

New longer train routes with stops would benefit distance travelers, while inner-city trains would cater to Las Vegas residents.

Both have benefits such as reduced traffic congestion on the road system, predictability and increased productivity.

And then there are other ancillary benefits with issues related to energy and environment.

For years there's been talk of new passenger trains within Las Vegas and routes leading out of the city, but could these trains really roll into town in the near future?

No.

At this time we don't have any, except the High-Speed Rail Commission has been exploring things over the last three-plus decades between California and Nevada.

Plans for a train route to California have gone through various evolutions over the years.

The potential for a plan moving forward depends on many factors, including how resources from new infrastructure investments and Jobs Act are invested.

For Nevada Week, I'm Heather Caputo.

Thanks, Heather.

Well, the billions of dollars from Congress will eventually end up in the hands of state and regional transportation officials.

They'll decide what new infrastructure gets funded.

Joining us to talk about where that money will be spent is M.J. Maynard, executive director of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and Sondra Rosenberg, assistant director of planning for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Thank you both so much for being here.

M.J., I want to start with you.

I wanted to go back to my intro right there about how the decisions are going to be made, and I think a big question the public is probably asking right now is how much autonomy does an organization like RTC have of how you're going to spend this money?

Are these very restricted provisions that are kind of baked into this bill already?

(M.J. Maynard) That's a great question.

We are a regional authority, but we really work in a collaborative fashion.

So we work closely with all the cities, with Clark County, with the Nevada Department of Transportation, and we do that in an effort to ensure that decisions that are made are done regionally.

So you know, our folks that live here may work in Boulder City and live in Las Vegas, for example.

So it really is a collaborative effort.

With regard to the infrastructure bill, again, for the RTC, we'll personally receive, our agency will receive $150 million in new funding over the course of five years, and we'll use that funding to enhance fixed route transit service, paratransit service, senior services.

We'll also work closely with local jurisdictions to look for projects that improve safety, congestion and really the way people move around Southern Nevada.

Additionally, there's $100 billion available by way of competitive grants, so this probably speaks more to the question that you asked.

This is where we will compete with other transit authorities around the United States, with other MPOs, and we will work again here in Southern Nevada collaboratively.

It won't be this autonomous decision made by the RTC.

We'll work with the cities, with the county and with NDOT to determine the best way to go after those dollars.

For the RTC personally, we're excited about the dollars, that the-- gosh, I'm sorry.

-Well, let me stop you there because this brings up a great question.

Whenever I hear competitive grants, right, I think okay, well, we better be talking about very innovative programs and probably a lot of planning ahead of time.

So Sondra, I want to bring it to you.

Both the RTC-- we can talk about the onboard plan of mobility, I think we'll talk about that in a second-- but let's talk about the One Nevada Plan, a big, large transportation plan that's already been baked in here.

How much of that plan then is associated or will be connected to this new infrastructure funding, particularly these competitive grants?

(Sondra Rosenburg) Great question.

You know, we built that plan as a foundation to really highlight our goals in the state for transportation, including safety and preserving our infrastructure, enhancing mobility, fostering sustainability and connecting communities.

So we really think the foundation we've built will work really well with this new bill.

We have a process for identifying needs and prioritizing projects based on those goals, and those goals align very well with the new infrastructure bill.

So similar to the RTC, we'll be getting quite a bit of new money, not as much as sometimes we're hearing out there.

It's the state DOT will be getting about $2.5 billion over five years which is a large number, but really in the first year, it's about a 20% increase of what we were typically getting before.

It does increase each year, so we're looking forward to that.

The majority of that funding is in existing programs that we're already used to and are already prioritizing; we already have projects identified.

There are a number of new programs, some of them that are allocated to the state by formula, and some that are discretionary or grants as M.J. mentioned.

So we plan on utilizing our One Nevada process really for prioritizing both the allocated funds as well as identifying our best competitive opportunities for those grants based on the goals that we all have for transportation in the state.

-That's interesting.

Two things you mentioned there, 20% over what your normal budget is and most of the money's already been allocated.

That might bring up the question of does that mean we've just planned really well and we knew right where this money was going to go, or does it mean that the infrastructure package isn't bringing maybe enough money to some of the problems we have before us?

-So I would say a little bit of both.

I said a 20% increase, that's over our federal funds which actually means about a 10% increase over our annual budget amount because we use about half state funds and half federal funds.

So we have been planning well.

The bill does continue a lot of existing programs with some increases, but in addition we have estimated that we have approximately a $530 million shortfall annually for state transportation needs.

So the bill helps, it's an increase, it's five years' worth of funding which we love, but it's not enough to dig us out of this hole which is why the Nevada legislature last session passed Assembly Bill 413 which requires us to put together an advisory working group to look at sustainable transportation funding.

And that's underway and is a part of that, and we're very excited with the work the group is doing.

We'll be able to utilize this new federal funding, but we're also looking for ways to increase revenue for the needs of the state.

-M.J., Sondra brings up a great point, this intersection of not only the funding, the policy, in this case our state policy, and then the political will to bring something forward.

All three are very important, and I want to bring attention to something that I know the public's very interested in.

We had the clip talking about rail system.

We mentioned interstate-- I'm sorry, inner city rail, metro rail.

When you think of a big infrastructure package, the first things that might come to mind are big rail systems, subway tunnels and all this kind of stuff for a growing city like ours.

Is any of that possible?

-I'm glad you asked that question, and you are not the first person to ask the question that assumes when you read the papers that millions and millions of dollars are making their way here to send to Nevada through the infrastructure bill.

For a project like light rail, in order to compete for those federal dollars, we have to be able to sustain the ongoing operations and maintenance of that new system.

So light rail for 20 years, we have to be able to replace the rolling stock or those trains at the end of their useful life.

We have to ensure that we're not cutting into the existing service to pay for that new line, for example, and as Sondra mentioned, while the money that we're receiving from the infrastructure bill is significant and we're extremely thankful to our federal delegation for all of their efforts, we also do not have a sustainable funding source, a long-term sustainable funding source.

So once we spend through the stimulus dollars, once we spend through the five years, that $150 million, apply for grants, unfortunately we have a funding situation we'll have to deal with.

So we're going to do the best of our abilities to ensure that we are introducing high-capacity transit, maybe it's going to be bus rapid transit for example.

But there is a thought that RTC, you're receiving millions of dollars, where's that light rail system?

And you know, we have an onboard plan and it plans the community's long-range mobility plan.

We heard from the community when we were putting together Maryland Parkway, our BRT project, the community wanted light rail.

Unfortunately, our board had to make a very difficult decision, a financial decision, that we weren't able to afford that long-term operation and maintenance costs, for example.

So we are going to do-- we're going to use all the money that we receive and look for ways again to improve safety and improve the way people move around here in Southern Nevada, but unfortunately we don't have that long-term funding solution that would pay for something like a light rail system here in Southern Nevada.

-And as you've already mentioned, this isn't just an RTC issue, this isn't a Department of Transportation issue, this is also municipal governments involved in looking at funding streams, really important.

There's so much, Sondra and M.J., about this infrastructure package.

I mean, we already mentioned the 2.5 billion for roads.

We have bridge replacement money.

We've got almost 500 million for public transportation.

I don't want to leave broadband off just because the internet of things and where technology is going is so important to transportation as well.

Sondra, I want to ask you, what are you most excited about with this bill?

-So one, we're excited to have five years of a bill.

You know, in the past when authorization bills have expired, it's been, you know, short-term extensions for quite some time.

So we're excited to understand what we expect to receive over the next five years.

I'm also excited over some of the new programs.

We know that resiliency is important, climate is important, equity is important, and I'm happy to see that there are programs specifically for all of those issues.

And not only that, but those programs are on top of the existing formula funding that we've been receiving.

So those are critically important issues, but so is maintaining what we already have.

So that combination, we're still kind of diving through the language.

There will probably be some federal rulemaking on those issues, but we are ready to dive into that climate strategy.

We're in a good position because the state has put together a climate strategy with a number of partners, and we're ready to kind of dive in a little bit deeper on that, on what we can do in transportation.

We're very concerned about safety.

Our traffic safety numbers are horrendous.

They've gotten much worse over the last two years, so we're happy to see some focus-- in addition to the standard safety program-- some real focus on vulnerable road users, those folks that are outside of the car.

We have already taken steps to really look at our whole design process in terms of making sure we're designing and building a system for all users and not just for vehicles.

So we're really excited that the administration has seen that importance as well and there's some additional funding both formula as well as grant opportunities for those types of initiatives.

-M.J., I want to ask you the same question, and I'm going to pigeonhole you a little bit maybe on where your excitement is because Sondra brought up some really great points.

Let's talk about the safety aspect, and I know one of the big things the RTC is really laser focused on is multimodal transportation, that this isn't just transit, but we're also talking about pedestrian and bicycles as well.

Talk about maybe how the bill, and what maybe you're really excited about the bill that can help alleviate some of the issues we're having around safety.

-So you are correct.

You know, people think RTC, oh, they're the bus people.

We certainly are, but we wear a lot of hats at the RTC.

We are committed to ensuring that our transportation network system is accessible and equitable for all modes of travel.

So the car, the bike, the bus, the pedestrian, a rideshare, and we think of safety for cyclists, for example.

Probably a good example is what's happening on Boulder Highway with our Boulder Highway Reimagined project.

Boulder Highway is the deadliest strip of asphalt in our state, so we are taking an opportunity to work with the City of Henderson, Clark County and the City of Las Vegas to improve safety for all.

So it isn't just about the car.

We're looking to implement protected bike lanes, and this is again in conjunction with those three jurisdictions.

We're looking to add mid-block crossing.

So as a transit rider, when you get off a stop right on Boulder Highway, you could walk as far as half a mile just to get to the intersection to cross safely.

So mid-block crossing, enhanced lighting, and this really is about ensuring the arterials on our roadways are for all.

I don't know if you-- I walk my dogs on some of the streets in Las Vegas, and 45 miles per hour posted speed limit doesn't feel very safe, and it doesn't feel safe for a cyclist.

So we're looking to make those improvements not only on Boulder Highway but throughout the valley.

And again, in conjunction with our partners.

-Yes, really important, especially what you just mentioned, bicycles away from the roadways is really important.

Sondra, I want to come back to you because this brings up one of these kitchen table issues, and I think again, another thing the public always thinks of when they think of maybe infrastructure related to roads-- related to roads here-- is congestion and congestion alleviation, and to M.J.'s point, if we're putting in potentially other multi-use lanes that aren't related to car traffic that might reduce car traffic in areas, and those kinds of questions start to come up.

Is this bill going to alleviate congestion?

-So I have mixed feelings about that question, because we think the answer is no.

Roads fill up.

We have seen over and over nationally and internationally that every time you add capacity to a highway, it doesn't help congestion.

It might minimally.

So we would not expect that this bill will reduce congestion; however, we are focused on improving safety.

We are focused on improving reliability.

So if we can reduce the number of crashes and reduce the severity of crashes, that will make everyone's commute more reliable.

In addition, and I know we touched before the segment a little about land use.

Land use decisions are going to drive things like commute time and travel time and congestion as well.

You know, we can't build our way out of congestion, but we can do things to operate the system and provide options for everyone in terms of how they travel throughout the region.

-Yes, land use-- land use does become an issue here.

Obviously we're going to have households and businesses are going to grow more in the valley.

We're going to need transportation to fit it.

Another emerging aspect of this is technology.

We've got about a minute left, and I want to talk about this because we have automated vehicles that are coming online.

I know there's money specifically allocated for electric vehicles and charging stations as well.

But the internet of things becomes important, automation becomes important.

Are there pieces in this bill that you think we can kind of build that type of infrastructure today for when technology emerges maybe in 10 years?

-You know, you're exactly right.

We are actually looking at that right now.

We believe there'll be opportunities in the infrastructure bill to spend funding on ensuring that our cities are prepared for connecting autonomous vehicles.

We're doing that right now in and around the Las Vegas Strip with the company Motional and Lyft.

They're operating autonomous vehicles right now, and we've worked closely to ensure the street infrastructure is able to communicate with the car.

We're implementing an autonomous vehicle pilot in Downtown Las Vegas that will be operational in a couple of years.

We believe there will be funding available through this bill that will allow us to expand that.

So it's ensuring that the fiber network is ready to go, that the traffic devices are smart as well and there's going to be a focus on that ongoing here in Southern Nevada.

-Great.

M.J., Sondra, thank you so much.

We appreciate it.

-Thanks, Kipp.

-Now, while local leaders will ultimately decide where the money will be spent, it was federal lawmakers that laid out the spending.

Joining us with a detailed look at what those lawmakers intended is Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

Senator, welcome back to Nevada Week.

-I'm so happy to join you.

I hope you're doing well.

-We're doing well, we're doing well, and we thought it would be fitting being that this is the holidays to talk about the infrastructure package related to planes, trains and automobiles and talk about the transportation side of the bill.

So let's get right into it, and I actually want to take a jump back really quickly and talk about the bipartisan nature of this bill.

There was GOP opposition, and yet we had 19 Republican Senators and we had 13 Republicans in the House that voted for this bill, a big transformation.

Why do you think that was?

(Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto) Well, first of all, what I have seen and even heard in our state, there was a need for this across the country in a bipartisan way.

It really wasn't about partisanship, it was how do we bring needed money into our communities for just our roads, bridges, highways, but so much more-- broadband, to address the climate crisis that we have, to address what we see in the wildfires and the drought in the West.

It really was wanted in so many states, including Nevada, and that's why this is just an incredible investment, and I'm very excited to have voted for it.

But more importantly now, making sure the money comes into Nevada to help us moving forward.

It's a long-term investment.

It will also create incredible jobs and continue to grow our economy which we need in Nevada as we deal with the spread of the pandemic.

-Yes.

I want to come back to what you said there, the money, making sure it comes into Nevada.

Let's talk about that.

Of course the bill's been signed; that doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to have a constant flow immediately of money.

Do you see challenges ahead of any of the money that's specified, particularly for some of Nevada's infrastructure, coming to the state?

-Right now there's about $4 billion from this infrastructure package that we've immediately identified that will come in.

There's going to be more that can come into Nevada for so many different things, and we have been working here in Washington with our local partners over the state, local leaders, with the Regional Transportation Commission, with NDOT, you name it, to make sure not only people know what's in the package but how they can apply for it.

If there are matching dollars, if it's a grant program, to make sure they are ready to go to receive these funds.

To me, that's part of really one of the most important things that I can do.

One is to fight for the dollars, make sure it comes into our state.

The other is to make sure people in Nevada know what's available and then get the money into our state.

So I'm going to continue working with so many across the state to make sure now that really we're accessing these funds.

-And that's really important, and that actually relates to the panel conversation we had before you came on here.

We did talk to M.J. Maynard, the executive director at the RTC of Southern Nevada.

We also talked to Sondra Rosenburg, assistant director of planning for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

They lauded the infrastructure bill, really good money.

We talked about the planning.

They also said their big concern is sustainability beyond the infrastructure bill.

They applauded that it is a five-year bill, there'll be money coming in for five years, but then they also said there needs to be more revenue streams, particularly from some of the local municipal governments.

How are you working then with say Clark County here in Southern Nevada or the state to make sure there are other viable revenue streams past this infrastructure bill?

-Yes.

So a couple of things people should understand in the bipartisan infrastructure package there, when it comes to transportation, it's a five-year window that the money will be spent.

On everything else it's 10 years, so this is really long-term.

Part of the idea here is that by making these investments in our infrastructure, it also benefits us long term to grow our economy, right, really in Nevada, to generate revenue that we need to continue to put into our infrastructure.

It's not just this money that's coming in from the federal level, we have to grow our economy.

We have to really make sure we're growing those businesses and jobs and those entrepreneurs coming in, and having the ability to continue to create jobs and add to that growth.

One of the things in the bipartisan infrastructure package focuses on that.

How do we bring the supply chain back to Nevada and manufacturing and processing?

There's a good portion of it that focuses on battery recycling and storage.

Well, believe it or not, already in Nevada we have some incredible companies, entrepreneurs who have started around battery recycling and storage moving into this clean energy future which is part of the innovation economy that's coming our way.

The bipartisan infrastructure package is a key part of making those investments in those businesses, to continue to grow them in our state.

Nevada is primed to take advantage of this.

This is why I've been working with our chambers throughout the state to make sure that not only do we understand what's available, but how do we connect these businesses and these entrepreneurs with the opportunities that this bipartisan infrastructure is going to bring from the innovation economy?

It's a key part of the infrastructure package and so many other things, and I will talk about this, is the workforce development as well.

We cannot forget that's a key part of bringing our workforce along with us into this innovation economy.

-You mentioned this, and I know you've called this bill as much an infrastructure bill as it is a workforce development bill.

Let's talk about some of the big areas.

Where do you see-- what sectors do you see workforce development can grow the most here in our state?

-It's exciting.

So couple of things.

This bill and the work that I've been doing has focused on really taking advantage of the innovation economy in Nevada that is growing.

That's around solar, wind, geothermal and clean energy.

That's how we look at putting more charging stations to really support electric vehicles, electric buses.

Part of that funding is in here to support electric vehicles and electric buses.

Part of the funding focuses on one of the things that I knew was needed from just growing up and going to public school system in Las Vegas is that we have some old schools.

My public elementary school is still utilized and very, very active but it's old, doesn't have new HVAC systems, doesn't have the new technology that the kids need now.

So in this bill, I fought for funding to renew our schools and bring some of that money that will help renovate our schools with new HVAC, new technology, electric buses as well, that we need across the state.

So there's really an opportunity to focus on jobs and creation around those opportunities around the clean energy.

-Senator, thank you so much.

We're out of time; we really appreciate it.

Maybe we can have you back on and we'll talk a little more about the collaborative nature of this bill as well.

-I look forward to it.

Thank you.

-Thank you, Senator.

And thank you of course, as always, for joining us this week on Nevada Week.

For any of the resources discussed on this show, please visit our website at vegaspbs.org/nevadaweek.

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Thanks again for joining us, and have a very safe and happy holiday season.

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