Clark County Aviation outlines airport transformation and plans for multimodal hubs tied to supplemental airport
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Summary
Clark County Aviation briefed the AB256 working group on a three-part "maximize, connect, expand" plan for Harry Reid Airport, purchase of land for a South multimodal hub, use of a vacant center tunnel for mass transit connectivity, and the role of a supplemental Southern Nevada airport (SNSA) for long-term runway capacity.
Clark County's aviation officials told the AB256 Regional Rail Working Group they are pursuing a three-part transformation of Harry Reid Airport to address capacity constraints and to provide multimodal connections to the community and a planned supplemental Southern Nevada airport (SNSA).
"We do see our big picture transformation as 3 separate projects: the first being a maximization, a connection and then an expansion," Jim Chrisley, director of aviation for Clark County, said. He said Terminal 1 currently handles about 75% of traffic and the county is planning to rebalance flows between Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 in order to ease congestion.
Chrisley described acquisition of 164 acres at the corner of Sunset and Las Vegas Boulevard for a South multimodal hub and referenced a center tunnel within the airport connector tunnel system that is currently vacant and could be dedicated to mass transit connecting Harry Reid to a multimodal site. He also warned that FAA guidance suggests the airport will be "severely constrained" by 2033 absent expansion.
Brian Holt, senior director of aviation, said the South multimodal is planned to integrate multiple modes (BRT, bus, potential subway, light rail) and serve as the primary long-term corridor to the SNSA, with initial opening-day plans relying on the Jean Interchange and bus connectors.
Chrisley and Holt discussed interfacing with BrightLine West and noted BrightLine is a high-speed intercity product rather than a commuter rail; BrightLine may be a "soft interface" for airport connectivity but does not plan an airport stop as part of its current application.
What happens next: Clark County will continue planning multimodal facilities, refine connection concepts for the South multimodal and coordinate with NDOT, RTC and private rail proponents on how to integrate airport access into future regional rail and high-capacity transit options.