Work on Las Vegas Strip bridges will finish early but cost extra $235K
Upgrades to four pedestrian bridges at the Strip’s southern end will be completed six months ahead of schedule, but the expedited timeline adds $235,000 to the final cost, the Nevada Department of Transportation said Monday.
The bridges connecting the MGM Grand, Tropicana, Excalibur and New York-New York hotel-casinos will be fitted with new escalators, tempered-glass panes, aluminum panels and lighted handrails by Dec. 29 — well ahead of the initial mid-2018 deadline, NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said.
The makeover, now pegged at more than $30.2 million, is primarily funded by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Clark County will assume responsibility for the bridges when the project wraps up.
The renovation project at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard was supposed to start in April 2016, but NDOT officials were concerned that any bridge closures would interfere with the opening of the nearby T-Mobile Arena that same month.
Work finally began in June on the southern span connecting the Excalibur and Tropicana hotel-casinos. That upgrade was completed in late December, and renovations started in January to the east pedestrian bridge connecting the Tropicana and MGM Grand hotels.
The project will cause further disruptions when electrical power will be shut down from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday along the pedestrian bridge linking the MGM Grand and New York-New York hotel-casinos, Illia said.
The construction is being done in phases to avoid disruptions during major events, shows and conventions, Illia 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, Illia said.
“This project will greatly improve the safety and efficiency of pedestrian traffic flows at one of the most active pedestrian corners in the state,” Illia said. “It will also create a sleek contemporary look consistent with the newer pedestrian bridge crossings along Las Vegas Boulevard, injecting some new glamour to the Strip.”
Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.
