Stewart Avenue serves as a main passage for many individuals to reach school, work, essential goods and services, or transit locations. Along the corridor, each census block is designated as an area of persistent poverty, an historically disadvantaged community, or both. With more than 35 percent of all users being pedestrians and bicyclists, the fragmented sidewalks and minimal shade are concerns.

Parametrix assisted the City of Las Vegas in preparing and winning a $23.9 million grant award through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. This funding will help the city to create a highly functional, inviting, and multimodal space. The team’s work helped to achieve an impressive benefit-cost ratio by creatively adapting typical roadway improvement criteria to an active transportation solution. They developed a workbook that looked beyond typical transportation benefits at such things as travel time savings, safety benefits, emission savings, and residual value. This enabled the calculation of health, equity, reliability, livability, and bicycle and pedestrian safety benefits while still aligning with the federal priorities.

The proposed Stewart Avenue corridor will include a protected two-way bicycle track, wider and ADA accessible sidewalks, upgraded lighting, and bus stop improvements. This project exemplifies the core of the RAISE program by providing mobility for zero-car households; improving safety and comfort for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users; and adding trees to provide shade and help to mitigate the urban heat effect.