Acknowledgements The Connecting Nevada project would not have been possible without the guidance and input of a number of stakeholders who demonstrate a commitment to making Nevada s transportation system the best it can be every day. For over a year and a half numerous individuals, organizations, and staff members have played the most important part in Connecting Nevada. A special thank you to Charles Kajkowski, former City of Las Vegas Public Works Director. Mr. Kajkowski s vision for Nevada s transportation future helped inspire the effort that led to Connecting Nevada. Connecting Nevada Partners The Connecting Nevada Stakeholders that participated in this effort are listed below in alphabetical order. Aggregate Industries American Magline Group AT&T Bureau of Land Management Bureau of Reclamation Caesars Entertainment California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission Carson City Chamber of Commerce Churchill County Road Department Churchill County Communications City of Elko City of Fallon City of Fernley City of Henderson City of Las Vegas City of Mesquite City of North Las Vegas City of Sparks City of Winnemucca Clark County Dept. of Air Quality and Envi. Management; Department of Aviation; Fire Department; Planning; Public Works; Regional Flood Control District; Water Reclamation District Cox Communications Desert Cab Co. Desert Research Institute (DRI) Douglas County Douglas County Police Department Econ. Development Authority of Western Nevada Ely City Council Ely Times Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EP Minerals, LLC Esmeralda County Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe Federal Highway Administration Focus Property Group Friends of Nevada Wilderness Greyhound Bus Lines Henderson Chamber of Commerce Henderson Police Department Howard Hughes Corporation Hub Group Humboldt County Las Vegas Arts District Neighborhood Association Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Las Vegas Monorail Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) Lincoln County Lincoln County Fire Department Marnell Companies Mesquite Fire Department Mineral County Muscle Powered
MWH Global NCSI Nellis Air Force Base Nevada Army National Guard Nevada Association of Counties Nevada Commission on Terrorism Nevada Commission on Tourism Nevada Conservation League Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Nevada Department of Wildlife Nevada Division of Forestry Nevada Division of State Lands Nevada Highway Patrol Nevada Legislature Nevada Manufacturers Association Nevada Mining Association Nevada Motor Transport Association Nevada Petroleum Marketers Association Nevada State Demographer Nevada State Legislature Nevada State Office of Energy Nevada Subcontractors Association Nevada Wilderness Project North Las Vegas Police Department Northern Nevada Counter Terrorism Northern Nevada Railway Northern Transport NV Energy NV Trucking Association Nye County Outside Las Vegas Foundation Paiute Pipeline Company Pershing County Police Department Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Railroad Foundation Red Rock Audubon Society Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada RTC of Washoe County REMSA Reno Sparks Indian Colony Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority Renown Rehabilitation Hospital Republic Services Sierra Club and Sierra Club, Toiyabe Chapter Southern Nevada Homebuilders Association Southern Nevada Transit Coalition Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) SouthWest Action Network (SWAN) Southwest Gas Corporation Spectrum Surveying and Engineering Spring Creek Property Owners Association Stantec Consulting Services Inc State Historic Preservation Office Storey County Tahoe Fire Department Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Tahoe Transportation District The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Town of Gardnerville Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency Truckee Meadows Water Authority Truckee River Flood Management Authority Truckee-North Tahoe Transportation Management Association U.S. Bureau of Reclamation U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Pacific Southwest Region U.S. Green Building Council, Nevada Chapter United States Postal Service (USPS) UNLV Transportation Research Center Urban Chamber of Commerce Valley Electric Association, Inc. Walker River Paiute Tribe Washoe County Washoe County Health District White Pine County White Pine Tourism and Recreation Wynn Resorts
Connecting Nevada Consultants Brent Cain Lolene Terry Michael LaBianca Michael Gorton previously with HDR Engineering, Inc. HDR HDR HDR James Caviola CA Group, Inc. Jason Gray previously with Strategic Solutions
Table of Contents Executive Summary ES-01 The Connecting Nevada Process 1 Introduction 2 Planning Partners and Participants 3 Key Issues 12 Connecting Nevada Mission, Principles, and Goals 17 Statewide Transportation Framework 19 Intermodal Facilities 51 Social and Environmental Setting 55 Energy Resources 62 Population and Demographics 64 Economics 77 Planning Tools 81 Nevada Statewide Travel Demand Model 83 Connecting Nevada Website 91 Connecting Nevada Webmap 92 Data Compilation 96 Planning and Environmental Linkages 98 The Planning Process 101 Connecting Nevada Implementation Plan 103 Overview 103 Current Planning Processes and Requirements 103 Plan Structure 105 Objective of the Implementation Process 105 Connecting Nevada Update Process 107 Department Resource/Processes Assessment 113 Recommendations 115 Appendices A: List of Technical Advisory Committee and Steering Committee A-2 B: FAF3 Freight Flow Summary A-3 C: FAF3 Commodity Flows A-4 D: FAF3 Pass-Through Commodity Flows A-12 i
List of Tables Table 1. DRAFT Connecting Nevada List of Projects 28 Table 2. Top 10 Destinations of Freight Flows from Nevada (2010) 40 Table 3. Top 10 Origins of Freight Flows to Nevada (2010) 41 Table 4. Demographics of Nevada 65 Table 5. Population Projections for Washoe County 66 Table 6. Population and Employment Projections for Reno/Sparks Urban Area 67 Table 7. Population Projections for Nevada (based on a 2010 estimate) 68 Table 8. Employment Projections for Nevada with Low Job Growth 69 Table 9. Nevada Counties Future Employment Growth Trends 74 Table 10. Population and Employment Projections of Neighboring States 76 Table 11. Sources of Webmap Data Layers 93 Table 12. Suitability Analysis Criteria Weighting 95 Table 13. Connecting Nevada Update Process Resources 110 ii
List of Figures Figure 1. Nevada s Metropolitan Planning Organizations 3 Figure 2. Connecting Nevada Base Roadway Network 20 Figure 3. Roadway Improvement Projects 35 Figure 4. Transit Improvement Projects 36 Figure 5. Nevada s 2010 Surface Commodity Flows, by Ton 42 Figure 6. Nevada s 2010 Surface Commodity Flows, by Value 43 Figure 7. Nevada Freight Mode, by Value and Tonnage 45 Figure 8. 2010 Nevada Surface Freight Traffic, by Value 46 Figure 9. 2010 Nevada Surface Freight Traffic, by Volume 46 Figure 10. Nevada Freight Forecasts in Volume for Surface Modes, 2010 to 2060 48 Figure 11. Nevada Freight Forecast in Value f or Surface Modes, 2010 to 2060 49 Figure 12. Land Ownership 57 Figure 13. Biophysical Environment 61 Figure 14. Solar Energy Potential 63 Figure 15. Population and Employment of Las Vegas Area. 67 Figure 16. 2010 Estimated Population Density 70 Figure 17. 2060 Projected Population Density 71 Figure 18. 2010 Estimated Employment Density 72 Figure 19. 2060 Projected Employment Density 73 Figure 20. Nevada s Neighboring States 76 Figure 21. Nevada s Statewide Travel Demand Model Area 84 Figure 22. Nevada s Statewide Travel Demand Model Network 85 Figure 23. 2060 Forecast Traffic Congestion 87 Figure 24. Coyote Springs Travel Demand Model Scenario 88 Figure 25. NVTDM User Interface 89 Figure 26. Sparks Intermodal Rail Facility 90 Figure 27. The Connecting Nevada Website 91 Figure 28. Screen Capture of the Connecting Nevada Web Map 92 Figure 29. Current NDOT State Planning Process 105 Figure 30. Connecting Nevada Process and Interface with Current State Planning Process 113 iii
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