Tell me the numbers, I’ll take care of the politics.”

Shashi Nambisan, director of the Transportation Research Center (TRC) at UNLV, recalled a pivotal discussion in the early 1990s with then-County Commissioner Bruce L. Woodbury about the transportation needs of a region on the precipice of substantial growth. The discussion also included leaders from Clark County Public Works and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

“So we did that. We provided the data that helped inform Question 10 on that year’s election ballot, a local option gas tax,” said Nambisan. “He [Commissioner Woodbury] highlighted in turn that if we don’t fund our transportation, we will not be able to grow — we will choke on our own success. And, if we wait for federal money, it’s going to take 15 to 20 years before we even start building the 215 Beltway.”

The discussion — and the resulting policy supported by an overwhelming majority of Clark County voters — encapsulates Nambisan’s career in advising states, counties, and local governments in Nevada and across the country, on critical issues in transportation development, management, and operations. 

And, today, like in the 1990s, our transportation infrastructure — not only in Nevada, but nationally — needs a bit of a shock to the system. 

“What critical actions will Las Vegas need to take over the next decades to ensure a sustainable transportation system? These are the kinds of questions we are trying to answer at the TRC,” said Nambisan, who is also a professor of civil and environmental engineering and construction at UNLV.

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