Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority bonus material
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority meeting on Tuesday had more action than a $2 craps table.
The unbendable laws of time and space prevented us from getting everything into the Wednesday print edition of the Review-Journal.
Here's some newsworthy bonus material for those of you here at www.lvrj.com — think of it as free odds for your information pass line bet.
You know that frustrating, antsy feeling that occurs when you get within eye-shot of the Strip but are blocked from the party thanks to crippling traffic snarls?
A guy from the Nevada Department of Transportation told the authority he's trying to fix that problem.
Rudy Malfabon delivered an update on a $250 million project that will widen Interstate 15 between Tropicana and Sloan.
About 250,000 cars use that stretch daily and it can become annoyingly slow when Californians pour into town for the weekend.
"We don't want their first experience to be the traffic clog," Malfabon said. "We want the experience to be better so they come back."
The road plans also have a little something for locals, too.
NDOT is planning bridges over I-15 on Sunset and Warm Springs. They'll be a treat for anyone from the Southwest who wants to hit the South Strip.
The plans also include braided off-ramps to better manage traffic getting on and off the highway.
"You don't have that weaving motion, that conflict between cars that are going in the same direction," Malfabon said.
Construction could begin in the fall. Several companies are currently bidding for the work.
The authority also renewed the lease at its Washington, D.C., office for five years at a cost of $594,969.
They're getting the space for $50.58 per square foot, which CB Richard Ellis says is a competitive rate for the location.
The spot is close to lots of foot traffic which helps visibility and near a metro stop which makes it easier for visiting LVCVA workers and clients to do business there.
LVCVA board member Tom Jenkin of Harrah's was the only one who questined the need for storefront exposure, but he ultimately voted in favor of renewing the lease with the rest of the board.
