Metro ramps up safety measures ahead of Las Vegas Grand Prix

With the third Las Vegas Grand Prix looming large over the Strip, public safety officials discussed on Wednesday how they’re preparing for the upcoming weekend of Formula One racing.

Metropolitan Police Department Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said the large scale of the race presents challenges for assuring safety, but added that Las Vegas is “not a stranger” to events like this.

“Even though this is the third year we’re hosting the Las Vegas Grand Prix, we refuse to be complacent in our preparation, we refuse to be complacent in our staffing, and we refuse to be complacent in our messaging,” Walsh said.

He did not say exactly how many Metro officers will be deployed for race weekend, but he said there “probably won’t be much space where you don’t see a police officer.” Walsh added that Metro will deploy a group of plainclothes officers to contribute to their policing.

“You can bet that the full weight of the police department has been put behind this,” Walsh said.

Those attending the race who see suspicious activity are encouraged to report it to officers, call 911 or call Metro’s See Something, Say Something hotline at (702) 828-7777, Walsh said.

“With everyone’s cooperation, we’ve continued to make the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix a great event for everyone involved.”

Inside the track and on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard, Clark County Fire Department chief Billy Samuels said the fire department will have medical and fire resources in case of an emergency.

The annual race has previously drawn large numbers of visitors to Las Vegas. Last year’s race attracted 175,000 unique visitors to Las Vegas and had an estimated economic impact of $934 million, the Review-Journal previously reported.

Road closures, item restrictions

With the 3.8-mile race track running on local roads, Walsh said Las Vegans can expect portions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Koval Lane, Harmon Avenue and Sands Avenue to be closed when race weekend arrives.

Police will begin closing roads starting Nov. 20 through the early morning hours of Nov. 23, Walsh said. Each day of racing, he said, road closures will begin at 1 p.m. and roads will be fully closed by 3 p.m.

On Thursday and Friday, Walsh said roads will start to reopen around 10 p.m. and be fully open to traffic around midnight. Following the race Saturday night, he said, roads will begin reopening at midnight and will be fully open at 2 a.m. Sunday.

“Roads could open sooner depending upon when the race events conclude and how quickly the crews can clear the circuit,” Walsh said.

Locals can get real-time traffic updates through the Las Vegas Grand Prix website transportation.f1lasvegasgp.com or via text by texting F1LV to 31996, according to the race’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs Lori Nelson-Kraft.

“In real time, our locals can plan for and understand if there’s anything that might impact their commute if they’re in and around the circuit,” Nelson-Kraft said.

Public and private pedestrian bridges will remain open, but the Las Vegas Grand Prix crew has installed safety enclosures and barriers inside all bridges along the Strip to keep foot traffic moving and to prevent people from throwing items onto the race track, Walsh said. He added that hundreds of private security employees will be on pedestrian bridges to enforce the rules.

“We take steps to educate and warn the public about stopping on the pedestrian bridges before we take any type of enforcement action, and if needed, we can cite or arrest noncompliant individuals,” Walsh said.

Visitors attending the race are required to follow Formula One’s bag policy listed on the F1 Las Vegas mobile app and website, Nelson-Kraft said.

“The mobile app is everything for our guests who are coming. Everything they need from wayfinding to their tickets to information to any notifications that we need to update them throughout race weekend will come from that mobile app,” Nelson-Kraft said.

In addition, Walsh said people will be prohibited from carrying or possessing glass bottles on the Strip or outside casino properties beginning Monday. Water filling stations will also be located throughout the race’s various zones this year, Nelson-Kraft said.

“Our highest priority … is to keep our attendees and the community safe while ensuring guests have a fantastic experience,” Nelson-Kraft said.

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.