RTC OKs new bus route to veterans hospital
When the new Veterans Affairs hospital opens its doors in mid-August, it will have an express bus route that will shuttle patients from downtown to the facility on Pecos Road near the northern portion of Interstate 215.
The Regional Transportation Commission unanimously approved the line that will run between the Bonneville Transit Center to the hospital with six stops in residential neighborhoods that are not currently served by the agency's fixed-route service. The hospital line will run from 5 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.
The bus will stop at Fourth Street and Carson Avenue and along Losee Road at Craig Road, Washburn Road, Ann Road and Centennial Parkway. A one-way trip is expected to take 35 minutes.
The Regional Transportation Commission is partnering with the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System to fund the new route.
John Bright, director of the healthcare system, said he expects the first patients to enter the facility on Aug. 14, the same day the route will open. The Veterans Affairs Main Hospital provides treatment to more than 100,000 veterans in Southern Nevada. About 12 percent rely on public transit, Bright said.
"What you do for the veterans is extremely important," Bright told the board.
ADRIENNE PACKER/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
