Transportation & Infrastructure - University of Nevada, Reno

NDOT also is responsible for 20% of Nevada’s
roads with over half of all vehicle miles traveled on
NDOT-maintained roads. In 2007 and 2009, ASCE
graded the U.S. road infrastructure with a “D” and a
“D-” for poor-to-mediocre road conditions that cost
Americans time and fuel and increase stress due to
congestion. The conditions also cost motorists money
in terms of road-induced need for auto repairs (see
Table T3).
In 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act allocated approximately $201 million to the
Nevada Department of Transportation to improve
the state’s transportation infrastructure and put
Nevada residents back to work (NDOT: Projects and
Programs, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Overview, 2012). Approximately 30% of the money
was allocated for transportation projects in the urban
areas of the state (e.g., Clark and Washoe counties);
3.5% was allocated to rural areas; and the remaining
money was earmarked for other statewide projects.
The 2011 Urban Mobility Report suggested that
demand for new road construction and infrastructure
repair in Las Vegas outstripped supplies by 30%
(Schrank, Lomax, & Eisele, p. 50). In addition, in a
review of 101 U.S. cities, Las Vegas ranked 36th in
terms of traffic congestion. This resulted in 28 hours
of delay per commuter annually, seven gallons of
excess fuel per auto per year, and an estimated $532
total annual cost per auto (Schrank, et al., 2011).
These congestion figures translate into a total annual
congestion cost of $530 million in Nevada when the
excess fuel costs are taken into account and delays
are valued at $16 per hour for individuals and $88 per
hour for large commercial trucks.
In 2011, NDOT embarked on the second phase of
the two-part, multi-agency study called Connecting
Nevada. A goal of this study was to redefine
Nevada’s transportation-planning process through
collaboration with federal, state, regional and local
agencies and stakeholders. Another goal was to
improve Nevada’s transportation network for seniors
and future generations.
Tasks of the study included increasing public and
stakeholder involvement in planning for Nevada’s
future transportation needs through formal needs
analysis and group discussion, and development of
a statewide travel-demand model, population and
employment forecasts, and web map. The study
was expected to be completed in the first quarter
of 2013 followed by data analysis and planning. At
the time of the publication of Elders Count Nevada
(2013), the project had connected with more than 150
stakeholders across the state. For more information,
please see www.connectingnevada.org.
TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
35