Plans advance for pedestrian bridges

After years of listening to Strip casinos bicker over who will pay for two pedestrian bridges across Las Vegas Boulevard, Clark County officials finally intervened.

And within just a few months, the first detailed plans were completed.

The Public Works Department came another step closer to building the two bridges planned for the Flamingo Road intersection when the Clark County Commission approved preliminary plans Tuesday.

The board also scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 18 to discuss forming a special improvement district to help fund the $12.8 million project.

Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the Public Works Department, said Tuesday that Caesars Palace, Barbary Coast and Bally's will be assessed because they are the three hotel-casinos that will benefit most from the pedestrian crossings.

Taxpayers would pitch in for half of the project and the hotel-casinos, through special improvement district assessments, will foot the rest of the bill.

The bridges will be built on the north and east sides of the intersection. Mirage Resorts Inc., which is building the 3,000-room Bellagio hotel-casino on the Strip, is paying for two more foot-crossings on the south and west sides. Those bridges are nearly complete.

Caesars Palace, Bally's and Barbary Coast have proposed a variety of projects, including tunnels, that would remove pedestrians from the busy intersection. Each proposal fell through when the businesses failed to agree on the funding.

"Negotiations with property owners were at a standstill, so the commission decided to take action and get these done," Shelton said.

Public Works officials told commissioners Tuesday that they plan to meet with the participating property owners a week before the August public hearing to discuss assessments.

Among the few outspoken opponents of the bridges have been Flamingo Hilton representatives, who fear the crossings may block views of their hotel-casino. Shelton said it is unknown whether others will attend the public hearing to protest the project.

"We don't live in a perfect world," Shelton said. "Someone could have a difference of opinion. The goal of the county is to get people out of the street and eliminate the conflict between pedestrians and vehicles."

If the improvement district is approved, construction of the bridges likely would begin in December and be completed in late 1999.

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