Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) award of $6,000,000 to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s (RTC) Integrated Safety Technology Corridor project. This grant funding will help RTC expand emerging technologies along Interstate-15 in Las Vegas to enhance traffic management and roadway safety. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen sent letters of support for RTC’s grant application in August.
“It is essential that we prioritize safety and efficiency on the roadways that Nevadans rely on every day to get to work and home to their families,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This grant will fund emerging technologies along Interstate-15 in Las Vegas to improve traffic management, prevent car accidents, and inform first responders of incidents as quickly as possible. I’m proud to have advocated for this vital transportation funding, and I’ll continue to prioritize the safety of Nevadans across the state.”
“Nevada’s hard-working families rely on safe and reliable roadways for transportation,” said Senator Rosen. “This grant funding will support Nevada’s transportation infrastructure by using active traffic management strategies to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers to help keep our roads safe. I will continue working in Congress to see that our state receives its fair share of federal funding for the health of our economy and the safety of all Nevadans.”
“As the traffic management agency for the region, it is essential that we continue to collaborate with the state, local governments and our university to employ emerging technologies to improve safety, mitigate traffic and help save lives,” said MJ Maynard, RTC CEO. “This grant will enable us to work closely with our long-standing partners to expand our footprint in informing motorists, emergency responders and traffic technicians about incidents in real time. We are grateful to our federal delegation and community partners for their continued support of these efforts, as we all work together to reduce the number and severity of crashes on our valley’s roadways.”
BACKGROUND:
The USDOT’s Federal Highway Administration administers the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) Initiative grant which will allow RTC to expand its existing Integrated Safety Technology Corridor project along Interstate 15 and US-95 to address traffic mitigation and roadway safety. This expansion will use proven technology, active traffic management strategies, data and analytics, and notifications and alerts to inform motorists, emergency responders and traffic technicians in real-time about roadway incidents. RTC will continue its partnership with the Nevada Department of Transportation, Nevada Highway Patrol, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Waycare on the project.
As part of Senator Cortez Masto’s Innovation State Initiative, she has consistently advocated for funding and legislation to create new and creative transportation solutions in Nevada. In 2020 alone, she has helped secure $50 million for improvements to I-15 in Las Vegas and over $160 million in funding – supported by both Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen – under the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on public transportation. Senator Cortez Masto is also the author of the bipartisan Moving FIRST Act to create greater federal funding investments in smart city transportation opportunities.
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