The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) kicks off National Infrastructure Week with the Western Summit, welcoming transportation innovators, stakeholders, and policymakers. The RTC is honored to host one of only four national summits this week.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and Nevada Department of Transportation Director Kristina Swallow headlined as opening speakers.
“We have over $7 billion dollars’ worth of projects under way in Southern Nevada including the UNLV-Raiders stadium, Convention Center expansion, new hotels on the Strip and downtown, and the UNLV School of Medicine,” said Governor Sisolak. “We continue to grow at an exponential rate, and our growth is outpacing the rest of the nation in job growth.” With a theme of “Technology and Innovation: The New Infrastructure of Tomorrow,” the Western Summit welcomed nearly 100 attendees, engaging in a panel discussion moderated by RTC Chief Engineering and Technology Officer David Swallow. “I think the panel was great because we talked about the technology. We talked about policy and then we talked about human perspective. All of those are important for us to consider as we talk about new projects,” said Swallow. Panelist included ITS of America President & CEO Shailen Bhatt, Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Roger Millar, and Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Mahmud Farooque.
U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs David Short served as the event’s keynote speaker, highlighting the need of transportation infrastructure funding t the federal and local level. “In an area with this much growth as Southern Nevada, there’s no question that there’s going to be a need with further investment in roads, in public transit, in so many aspects of infrastructure to keep up with the growth,” said Short. National Infrastructure Week is recognized by about 500 affiliates across the country, including the RTC, to build awareness about the foundational role infrastructure plays in building and ensuring the economic vibrancy of communities.
