Big job gains could lengthen quick Reno-Sparks commutes

(AP) — Focused the past two decades on new highway construction, transportation officials are now eying expanding bus transit routes, car pooling and other ride-sharing opportunities in the Reno-Sparks area to keep up with growth as tens of thousands of new workers head for Tesla Motors, Switch and other new employers in the future.

Regional planners already anticipated double-digit growth in the workforce over the next 20 years in a state rebounding from one of the biggest hits in a prolonged depression that followed a 66 percent population spurt from 1990 to 2000.

In Washoe County, employment is forecast to grow 13.5 percent from 2015-2019, adding 34,741 jobs to the current workforce of 258,158, according to a draft report prepared for the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

Costly light rail isn't feasible in the short term, so transportation officials are trying to promote alternatives for workers who drive to the Reno-Sparks area.

The local Regional Transportation Commission is considering bus service to the I-80 industrial park, a costly prospect that is complicated because the site stretches more than 160 square miles.