Rep. Susie Lee announces road safety funding for better-lit streets

At one of the most dangerous intersections in Las Vegas, Congresswoman Susie Lee announces more than $3 million in federal funding for road safety improvements.

Democratic Nevada US Rep. Susie Lee announced last week that the City of Las Vegas will receive approximately $3.3 million in federal funding for new, brighter streetlights and other projects aimed at improving roadway safety. 

The city will receive $2.5 million to install more than 3,500 LED streetlights across a number of streets officials call the High Injury Network corridor. Those include Sahara, Buffalo Drive, Rancho Drive, Decatur Boulevard and Rainbow Boulevard, and are expected to improve visibility for motorists and pedestrians alike. 

Other lighting improvement projects are also expected to begin soon along the Las Vegas Wash trail and throughout the Summerlin Area, officials said at a news conference Friday. 

“Whether you’re driving to work, biking with your children, or walking to the store, every Southern Nevadan deserves to feel safe on our roads and sidewalks,” Lee said at the news conference, which was held near the intersection of West Sahara Avenue and South Durango Road. The intersection ranked among the Las Vegas intersections with the most crashes in 2023, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. 

LED streetlights emit a brighter, whiter light than traditional street lamps, which when placed strategically along busy roadways should reduce crashes and fatalities, said Joey Paskey, Director of Public Works for the City of Las Vegas. The funding will also allow for 250 bus stops to be outfitted with solar panels and LED lighting fixtures Paskey said will help commuters and bus drivers identify each other. 

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Metro last year reported it responded to approximately 19,000 collisions, with 158 of those fatal. Approximately 61% of all serious pedestrian injuries and fatalities occurred on dimly-lit roads, according to Lee’s office. 

“Las Vegas has seen a rise of vehicular collisions resulting in an average of one death and three serious injury crashes per week,” said Paskey, who added the city is trying to eliminate all traffic fatalities in its borders by 2050. “It is clear that the presence of quality street lighting is essential to the comfort and safety of our motorists, pedestrians and the larger community.”

Lee on Friday also announced the Southern Nevada Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) was awarded an $850,000 grant to outfit 425 buses with video mirrors in place of traditional side mirrors. The mirrors were requested by RTC to help eliminate blind spots and problematic glare spots during turns and lane changes, deputy CEO Angela Castro said. 

“This investment will help make our transit system safer for our entire community,” Castro said.

Lee, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said she credits the city, RTC, and Metro for collaborating with her office and working to secure the funding. 

“This is an instance where federal and local (officials) and our first responders have worked together to deliver something to improve the lives of Nevadans,” Lee said.