MGM-to-NYNY pedestrian bridge reopening on Las Vegas Strip

The pedestrian bridge linking the New York-New York and MGM Grand will reopen by noon Monday, just one day before the Golden Knights play their first preseason home game at the nearby T-Mobile Arena, the Nevada Department of Transportation said.

However, construction on the bridge connecting the New York-New York and Excalibur on the Strip’s southern end will continue through Dec. 29, with ongoing traffic lane restrictions beneath the span running between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weeknights, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.

The stairs, escalators and elevators leading to the bridge between New York-New York and the Excalibur remain closed, but people will be allowed to walk across the 165-foot-long span until Oct. 15, Illia said. After that, pedestrians will have to cross the neighboring bridges in order to access New York-New York.

“We’ve been coordinating with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, along with all the neighboring properties, to make accommodations for special events and holidays,” Illia said.

Renovations started in June 2016 to the four pedestrian bridges at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, allowing for new escalators, tempered-glass panes, aluminum panels and lighted handrails.

The $30.2 million makeover is primarily funded by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Clark County will assume responsibility for the bridges when the project concludes.

The renovation was supposed to be completed by mid-2018, but construction was expedited so that all four bridges would be open in time for New Year’s Eve, when a three-mile stretch of the Strip will shut down to make room for revelers ringing in 2018.

Expediting the work drove up construction costs by $235,000, NDOT officials said.

The 23-year-old pedestrian bridges aren’t just the oldest in Southern Nevada, but also one of the state’s busiest crossings, with roughly 130,000 pedestrians daily.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.