On Wednesday, Formula One announced the open-wheel racing group will dismantle the Flamingo Road bridge over Koval Lane before the Super Bowl kicks off in Las Vegas February 5.
The announcement comes two weeks after the Clark County Board of Commissioners heard from business owners affected by the massive 760-foot temporary bridge during a public hearing on January 2.
Clark County owns and manages the public right-of-ways in the resort corridor. However, in collaboration with Formula One the county will remove the road bridge, with work scheduled to start Sunday, January 27 at 9 p.m. and end by Thursday, February 1 at 9 p.m.
During the closure sidewalks will remain open to allow access to surrounding businesses, but traffic will not be allowed on Flamingo Road eastbound and westbound between LINQ Lane and Howard Hughes Parkway, and Koval Lane northbound and southbound between Rochelle Avenue and Albert Avenue.
Business owners near the intersection of Flamingo and Koval have been vocal about their opposition to the road bridge, arguing the structure has resulted in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Other opinions on the bridge have been mixed, with some residents crediting the road bridge with alleviating congestion on Flamingo, and others finding the structure difficult to navigate.
But the road bridge’s biggest opponents have been nearby business owners, who self-reported losing up to $23 million dollars in sales, because the bridge allows drivers to bypass traffic signals and businesses while driving on Flamingo over Koval.
The bridge was originally meant to stay up until after the Super Bowl while the Clark County Public Works Department conducted a study to determine whether there was any benefit to making the structure permanent.
Business owners in the affected area organized public comment, a media campaign, and lobbied local authorities to remove the bridge earlier.
“I’m overjoyed,” said Wade Bohn, owner of Jay’s Market, a business that’s been significantly impacted by the bridge. “I really felt like I might lose my business, but removing this bridge will allow us to get back to normal customer flow during big events like the Super Bowl.”
Randy Markin, the owner of Stage Door and Battista’s restaurant, said he’s hopeful tourists will return to his business after the road bridge is dismantled, making it easier to reach the restaurant.
“This is the positive outcome we hoped for,” said Markin in a statement.
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