Strip gates: Clue that New Year’s party is nearly upon us

A Road Warrior reader got concerned when he saw gates set up on Flamingo Road between Bellagio and Caesars Palace.

Had the competition between MGM Resorts International, owner of Bellagio, and Caesars Entertainment, owner of Caesars Palace, finally gotten so intense that a gate was necessary to separate the ancient Romans from the modern-day Italians?

Warrior reader Ed wrote: “We visit your city quite often and always have a great time! We have been noticing that there are huge gates ready to be used to close Flamingo between Bellagio and Caesars. Could this be possible? Why would Clark County think it might be necessary?”

No worries, Ed.

This is an annual ritual as Las Vegas prepares to ring in 2015.

Las Vegas celebrates the arrival of the new year better than most cities, and part of the fun is turning Las Vegas Boulevard into pedestrians only.

To keep pedestrians and motorists from mixing, the Metropolitan Police Department closes down the Strip to vehicle traffic. That’s why there are gates on the Strip’s major cross streets at the Boulevard.

If you haven’t ever experienced the arrival of the new year beneath the pyrotechnic glow and the percussive blasts of thousands of fireworks on the Strip, you can’t really call yourself a bona fide Las Vegan. Maybe this is your year.

The downside of the New Year’s experience is that getting there isn’t half the fun. Several streets will be closed or restricted as 2015 draws near. Those above-mentioned barricades will close at 6 p.m., but Metro has an elaborate closure protocol that begins at 5.

Here’s the Metro game plan, which is subject to change:

First, Sahara Avenue, Mandalay Bay Road, Desert Inn Road, Frank Sinatra Drive, Koval Lane, Russell Road, U.S. Highway 95 and Interstate 215 are your friends — they’ll stay open all night.

Harmon Avenue and the bridge over Interstate 15 will be limited to vehicle traffic with hotel guests only from the west leading into CityCenter. Harmon east of Las Vegas Boulevard will be limited to hotel properties.

The planned Strip shutdown plan: The offramps from I-15 onto eastbound Tropicana Avenue, Flamingo and Spring Mountain roads begin at 5. Westbound streets, roads and alleys leading to Las Vegas Boulevard, between Sahara and Mandalay Bay Road from Koval Lane, begin at 5:45.

The barricades are in place at 6, and Metro officers will begin clearing the boulevard of vehicle traffic by 6:15. By 6:30, all roads leading to the Strip will be closed, and Las Vegas Boulevard will be turned over to pedestrians. All escalators, elevators and moving walkways will shut down.

Once the fireworks are over about 12:15 a.m., the moving walkways, elevators and escalators will be reactivated and by 1:30 a.m., most of the celebrations will end and the barricade removal will begin.

About 2 a.m., street sweepers will work from south to north. By 3:30, the I-15 ramps will begin to reopen and all streets, roads and alleys leading to Las Vegas Boulevard will begin reopening.

The easiest way into the celebration will be on Regional Transportation Commission buses, which will run free from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 9 a.m. New Year’s Day.

Downtown and Strip buses — the Strip and Downtown Express route and Deuce routes — will be detoured like everybody else from about 11 a.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday. Several routes will be detoured during the Strip closure, but most resorts will be accessible.

The Las Vegas Monorail is another viable transportation option to get around quickly on the Strip on New Year’s Eve. If you park at one of the end points — the MGM Grand or the SLS Las Vegas — it’s easy to ride to any place on the Strip for festivities and have an easier escape when it’s over.

Las Vegas’ taxi industry used to offer free rides on New Year’s Eve, but officials say that won’t be the case for most companies this year because riders kept leaving behind evidence of their overindulgence that had to be cleaned off the cab seats.

There should be plenty of cabs available New Year’s Eve since the Nevada Taxicab Authority agreed to let each of the 16 cab companies have an additional 10 medallions from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and an additional 20 for any 12-hour period between 4 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 6 a.m. New Year’s Day.

In addition to the Strip celebration, the Fremont Street Experience closes to the public at 4 p.m. and will reopen with “TributePalooza” entertainment at 6. Tickets are $40 each, the only time of the year when it costs to get in.

HEAVY TRAFFIC

Three out of the past four years, January has been Las Vegas’ busiest month for conventions. That’s not too surprising when you consider that the annual Consumer Electronics Show hits town in early January with more than 150,000 people.

We’ll start seeing the early signs of CES arrivals at McCarran International Airport next weekend (the show is Jan. 6-9 this year) and big crowds will be the norm all month with a steady parade of large shows on the Las Vegas convention calendar.

The city will see the Promotional Products International Expo arrive Jan. 13, the Las Vegas Winter Market at the World Market Center opens Jan. 18, and the International Builders Show; Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show; and the Kitchen and Bath Industry kick off at different venues Jan. 20.

We’ll have a Road Warrior CES survival guide next week and give convention updates throughout the month to either get you in there if you want to go or tell you how to avoid potential gridlock.

Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Find the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior.