The Regional Transportation Commission is celebrating a huge windfall of federal funds that will allow for a major project to move forward.
The 4th Street corridor down to Prater Way has been due for an upgrade for quite some time. Now the RTC has $16 million in federal funds to make some changes.
They outlined their goals for the project.
"It's really about bringing people together in terms of providing access to jobs, healthcare, to education and making everyone safe at the same time,” says Dep. Secretary Victor Mendez, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Plans include reconstructing the street and widening sidewalks, adding bike lanes and improving utilities.
RTC will also add a transit service through the corridor with four new, all-electric zero-emissions buses. And they say this change is coming at the perfect time with Northern Nevada's population growing and changing.
RTC officials say there is simply more demand for alternative forms of transportation now and they only see that growing as more businesses open here.
"When people are riding transit, they can use their electronic devices to work, to communicate, to socialize, to do things they otherwise couldn't do if they were operating a motor vehicle,” says Lee Gibson, RTC Executive Director.
The final plans for the project are expected to be finished by December of next year and construction is slated to begin in spring of 2016.
