What to know if you’re driving to Super Bowl events in Las Vegas

With the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers set to meet in the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in two weeks, traffic preparations for the Big Game are full speed ahead.

NFL and their partners arrived in Las Vegas on Jan. 8 and have been expanding the footprint of ongoing work since. The scope of the traffic mitigation plan is much larger in scope than a regular season Raiders game at Allegiant Stadium.

“Where you have a larger perimeter around the stadium, less parking and just a different approach to the stadium,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL vice president of for club business and league events.

Beginning Monday, Hacienda Avenue between Valley View Boulevard to just west of Las Vegas Boulevard is fully closed until Feb. 15. Local access will be maintained between Polaris and Valley View.

Hacienda will serve as the main entry for fans attending the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, with signage and other additions planned to be added to give it a different feel from a normal stadium event.

“The access over the Hacienda bridge, where one of our entrances will take place, will be the preponderance of Super Bowl fans will enter,” O’Reilly said. “So, the coordination around entering there and leaving enough time (for fans to enter). I think the beauty of the Super Bowl is you get a significant early arriving crowd and those gates open early.”

Fans do so to take part in pregame festivities that range from the Bud Light Game Day Experience open to all attending fans and various hospitality events open to those who have tickets to those events.

“Certainly encourage people to show up early and follow the maps and the details we share out publicly to ensure you know the best way to navigate a stadium, that is different from a regular season stadium event,” O’Reilly said.

Traffic closures

—Al Davis Way and Allegiant Stadium Way, two short roads located on the north end of the stadium, have been closed and will remain so until Feb. 15.

— Dewey Drive at Polaris Avenue is partially closed and will be until Sunday, when a full closure will be in place through Feb. 15.

— Polaris between Russell Road and Ali Baba Lane is partially closed until Feb. 9, with a full closure planned between Feb. 10-Feb. 15.

— Dean Martin Drive between Oquendo Road to near Ali Baba has partial lane closures through Feb. 7, with that shifting to being fully closed Feb. 8-Feb. 15.

— Luxor Drive will be fully closed to traffic Feb. 10-Feb. 12.

— On game day Ali Baba will only be open to one-way traffic eastbound and Dean Martin will be open one-way to northbound traffic between Ali Baba and Tropicana Avenue.

— One major road near the stadium that won’t see any restrictions is Russell Road, which will remain fully open before, during and after the Super Bowl.

Game day transportation will be heavily reliant upon people walking from the Strip, on over 300 charter and shuttle buses, black cars (private limos), and ride hailing and taxicab services.

The majority of drop-off spots for buses, Uber and Lyft, and taxis ahead of the game will be to the west of the stadium in an area bordered by Reno Avenue and Diablo Drive to the north and south and Polaris and an area just west of Valley View.

“You’ve got a couple hundred shuttles and buses that will be operational and we’ll have probably more black cars that we’ve ever had in service at one given time,” Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft said. “They’ll all need staging areas and pick up and drop-off locations in close proximity of the event.”

Buses will be staged in that area while the game is taking place. Post-game ride hailing operations will occur at the Mandalay Bay parking garage, located across the Hacienda bridge from Allegiant Stadium.

With the limited amount of parking around the stadium for the Super Bowl, Naft said it’s probably a good idea to not take personal vehicles to the game.

“It doesn’t pay to drive yourself,” Naft said.

Know before you go

The NFL suggests that anyone that is heading to the Super Bowl download the league’s OnePass smartphone app.

Maps and information on the app will help ensure fans get to their intended destination and entry point. A schedule of events and other important information will be available on the app.

On Wednesday the NFL plans to roll out maps of the stadium campus on the app.

Las Vegas residents and visitors who want help dodging road impacts relating to the Super Bowl can do so by simply sending a text.

By texting SBLV to 31996 motorists can opt-in to Clark County’s messaging service that will relay Super Bowl-related road closures, lane restrictions and other items that will affect traffic.

Those who sign up for the service will receive a text message on Sundays announcing what to expect that week for Super Bowl traffic implications. Reminders and updates will also be sent during the week as needed.

“It is critical we keep our residents and visitors informed about scheduled road closures and other traffic and public transit impacts around Allegiant Stadium and the surrounding area,” Naft said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.