The Las Vegas Convention Center is opening up their convention parking lot off of Paradise Road, where Strip employees can park-and-ride into the Strip via Monorail or by Bus, Wednesday, October 11, 2023 Brian Ramos.
Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Marcus Lucas, a porter at the Mirage, leaves his home each day about one hour before his shift begins on the Las Vegas Strip.
When the Las Vegas Grand Prix comes to town Nov. 16-18 to shutter Las Vegas Boulevard and some surrounding side streets for the 3.8-mile track, Lucas isn’t certain how his commute will be affected.
“I’m worried that I won’t be able to make it to my shift in time,” Lucas wrote last month in a letter to the Clark County Commission. “I’m excited about the Formula One race as well as the other events coming to town. This is my hometown and the growth over the years has been amazing, but we have to get to work and back home to our families.”
The Formula One race and related activities are projected to bring at least $1 billion to Las Vegas’ economy, but many locals have raised concerns about what it could mean for their daily lives.
A major question has been how employees in the Resort Corridor will get to work with the number of anticipated road closures, traffic and more. At least one solution was approved last week.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority signed off on a $300,000 contract that will allow Resort Corridor employees to park at satellite lots — including 4,300 parking spots at the Las Vegas Convention Center — and access the Strip on a shuttle or the Las Vegas Monorail.
“We need to make sure that we have the most efficient way to move people in and out of the … circuit, particularly during those hours when the circuit is closed,” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA, told members of the media after a meeting last week. “And buses are obviously the best way to do it. You’re going to get 50 people on a bus, instead of one or two or four people in a car.”
Buses will also allow for overflow from the monorail, which Hill said will inevitably not have the capacity to move everyone from the satellite parking lots to the circuit. Nevertheless, the monorail should be used as much as possible, he said, as it’s the most effective way to get inside the circuit without using roadways.
“So we want to make sure that the monorail is completely full, and the only way to do that is to offer that alternative transportation in the event that it’s full,” he said. “So people feel like, ‘Oh, it’s OK to park here because no matter which method is available, I’ll be able to get in and go to work.’ ”
Buses will be paid for through the contract; monorail tickets aren’t covered. However, it’s only $1 to ride the monorail for those with a Nevada identification.
Virginia Valentine, president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association, said that employee access to the circuit is a priority for the resort industry, and the LVCVA shuttle and the monorail will both be important options.
She cited the close communication of Clark County, Metro Police, Formula One and other entities to make sure everything at the race runs like it’s supposed to, and encouraged hospitality workers to sign up for the county’s text-alert system that can alert them of road closures before and during the event.
“We’re excited to welcome F1 and its global fanbase to Las Vegas next month,” Valentine said in a statement to the Las Vegas Sun. “There are numerous collaborations taking place to ensure a smooth experience.”
The Culinary Union, which is comprised of tens of thousands of Las Vegas hospitality workers, is in discussion with companies and Formula One to make sure workers have the right infrastructure and support to get back and forth from work during the event, said Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer for the union.
The union is also proposing that employees who need to come early or stay late for work to make the race a success be compensated for that time, he said.
“We see Formula One stepping up to the plate and working, I think, much closer with the community principals like us and the county,” said Pappageorge, who emphasized the culinary union’s support of the event. “And we’re hoping for success.”
The LVCVA is developing alternative routes in advance of the race, so it can respond to traffic and direct buses to take the most efficient routes into and out of the circuit, Hill said.
“Since this is the first time we’re doing the race, we’re going to learn as we go,” said Hill, who emphasized that the LVCVA is only “supplementing” transportation for employees of the resorts.
For locals or other attendees of the race who may need to get into the circuit for whatever reason, there will be several options, including rideshare drop-off points and shuttles. Parking and transportation options will be available on a Formula One app, as discussed at the LVCVA Board of Directors meeting last week.
“It’s a very walkable circuit,” Hill said. “So we’re going to recommend that people don’t try and drive inside the circuit to attend the race. We’ll try and make it so that it’s either an easy shuttle or an easy walk.”
katieann.mccarver@gmg vegas.com / 702-990-8926 / @_katieann13_
