Formula 1 officials say efforts to resolve traffic issues ‘still a work in progress’

With less than 30 days away before Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix shuts down a portion of the resort corridor including the Las Vegas Strip, preparations for the event are already causing traffic nightmares for the people who make the Strip work.

And officials for the event described efforts to resolve issues related to nighttime closures and other inconveniences caused by event preparations as “still a work in progress.”

Clark County commissioners received an update Tuesday from Las Vegas Grand Prix on efforts to resolve ongoing concerns around accessing bus stops and ways people, including hotel employees, can travel in and out of the area when streets are closed.

Event representatives offered few details. 

“It’s less than 30 days out so work in progress needs to not be work in progress much longer,” said Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones. 

Formula 1 is scheduled to run Nov. 16-18. In addition to the Las Vegas strip, the event will shut down parts of Flamingo Road, Koval Lane, Harmon Avenue and Sands Avenue.

Roads are scheduled to be closed 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. each of those days.

Construction leading up to the event has already resulted in traffic delays, which have frustrated hotel workers.  

Terry Miller, project manager for Las Vegas Grand Prix, told commissioners they are still working with hotel properties and surrounding businesses on an “employee transportation plan.”

The plan, he said, includes having employees park at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as other unidentified remote parking lots, and then “utilize buses as an opportunity to move those employees from those remote lots into their properties.”

A test run on the employee transportation plan is scheduled Nov. 9, though they are still working out the details. 

“We recognize race week will be a different program for how employees get to and out of work,” Miller added. 

Clark County Commissioner Marylin Kirkpatrick asked to attend the test run to better understand how it might work. 

Grand Prix officials said they are still working with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada about bus access on and around the Strip. 

Even though there will be barriers throughout Las Vegas Boulevard, Miller said two bus stops will be operational at Caesars Palace and the Cosmopolitan Hotel up until Nov. 14. 

“RTC access is a continuing work in progress,” he said. 

Additionally, Miller said they are still working with Harry Reid International Airport to address concerns for travel as well as any obstacles that might arise when transporting cargo related to the event. 

“We also recognize there are a lot of employees at the airport and (we need) the ability to move them to and from inside the resort corridor, whether they are coming to the race or trying to get through the race conditions in order to get home,” Miller added. “We’re working with the airport to make sure that is all taken care of as well.”

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is expected to bring another update to the county commission Nov. 7.  

Commissioners Tuesday were provided with a presentation detailing scheduled road closures between now and race week. LVGP is also listing the closures on its website, where it notes the schedules are subject to change.