[IMAGE]RTC-Transit-Center-RenderingFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] On Monday, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) broke ground on a new transit facility in downtown Las Vegas.

The new facility is being funded in part from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Bonneville Transit Center will serve as the central transit hub for the RTC’s ACE Rapid Transit system, ACExpress commuter services and the RTC’s fixed-route transit system.

The $17 million facility is being funded with $5.5 million in ARRA funding, one of three transit projects that will be built using stimulus funds. A number of federal grants make up the majority of the funding for the construction.

The RTC is seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the facility. It will feature shade canopies with solar panels to generate electricity, preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and water-efficient landscaping. Cyclists will enjoy an on-site bike storage area with space for 100 bikes and a self-service bike repair shop.

The RTC’s ACE Gold line, which will connect downtown Las Vegas with the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Strip, will stop at the Bonneville Transit Center. That line will open in the spring of 2010. The ACE Blue line (the current MAX line on Las Vegas Boulevard North) and the ACE Green line, which will be constructed on Boulder Highway, will stop at the facility. The ACExpress C line, which will provide fast commuter transit service from Centennial Hills to downtown Las Vegas, will also stop at the new Bonneville Transit Center.

The facility is scheduled to open in July 2010.