On Thursday, the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada commemorated the beginning of construction on the new Sahara Express rapid transit project.

The Sahara Express will be another addition to the RTC’s expanding network of rapid transit services. The rapid transit services provide enhanced connectivity throughout the Las Vegas Valley and are designed with speed in mind.

The Sahara Express rapid transit line will include dedicated transit lanes along much of Sahara Avenue, from Hualapai Way in the western part of the valley to Boulder Highway in the east. The Sahara Express will then branch to serve neighborhoods north and south of Sahara Avenue and will also connect to the RTC’s Deuce on the Strip, Strip & Downtown Express and Boulder Highway Express routes.

The RTC received $34.4 million in federal Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project is expected to improve mobility, connectivity and accessibility in Las Vegas, as well as to help spur local economic growth.

Expected to be complete by early 2012, the project is estimated to create nearly 500 private-sector jobs.

In addition to the new rapid transit lanes, the project will feature solar powered transit shelters, ticket vending machines, elevated station platforms, and improvements to traffic signals along Sahara Avenue that will improve travel for both cars and transit operations.