Transportation of the Future in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Those trademark Las Vegas lights may one day whoosh by windows of a light rail train ferrying visitors from the airport to casino lobbies.

Local transportation leaders are floating a 30-year-plan that could cost more than $12 billion involving everything from wider sidewalks and more pedestrian bridges crisscrossing the Las Vegas Strip to extra monorail stops and planning for a light rail route linking the airport to downtown.

What the price tag doesn't include is the cost to build and maintain the light rail system. That could amount to $2.1 billion to $12.5 billion depending whether the track is below, at or above ground.

Consultant Jeremy Aguero, who is one of the plan's architects, says the price tag is relatively small when weighed against the region's $95 billion tourist-driven economy.