LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A valley-wide initiative focused on a comprehensive Southern Nevada transit plan developed by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is gaining traction after its Maryland Parkway transit planning project received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus announced the award on Tuesday, Dec. 18., and released the following statement:

Stretching from the airport to downtown, Maryland Parkway is vital to the economy of the Las Vegas Valley. Investment in transit is essential to meeting current and future growth and these funds will help to develop a transit system to serve this major artery and revitalize the neighborhoods up and down Maryland. I look forward to partnering with the RTC, local officials, business groups, and neighborhood associations to help advance this proposal.

Maryland Parkway, a major transit corridor for the valley, connects many activity centers including UNLV, The Boulevard Mall and Sunrise Hospital.

RTC is conducting the environmental assessment of proposed mobility improvements to Bus Route 109, which runs along an 8.7-mile stretch spanning from Russell Road to UNLV’s School of Medicine.

The grant, made through the DOT’s Transit-Oriented Development Pilot Planning Program, will help develop one of three proposed options to improve the section of Maryland Parkway:

1. Enhance existing Bus Route: cost $29 million, improve travel time from 45 minutes to 44 minutes
2. Build a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route: cost $335 million, improve travel time from 45 minutes to 38 minutes
3. Build a Light Rail Transit (LRT) route: cost $750 million, improve travel time from 45 minutes to 32 minutes

In total, Bus Route 109 currently serves 9,000 daily riders, but proposed improvements could make it available to up to 16,100 riders.

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto applauded the DOT grant, releasing the following statement:

The Maryland Parkway corridor is a hub for growing businesses, medical facilities and is home to UNLV’s burgeoning campus. I’m pleased that the DOT has chosen to award the RTC of Southern Nevada grant funding to improve the transit system along this corridor and I applaud them for their efforts to provide Nevadans with efficient transportation solutions, while further connecting the City of Las Vegas.