Editorial: The bridges of Las Vegas Strip

NO one disputes that pedestrian bridges are a necessity at the heavily congested intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

But where the bridges should touch down and how they should be designed have created dissension among the neighboring casinos. These needless disputes have delayed for three years efforts by the Clark County Commission to ease pedestrian and vehicle traffic at this intersection.

The failure by two hotel-casinos to reach a compromise forced the commission on Tuesday to go forward with public funding of two overhead pedestrian crossings at Flamingo Road and the Las Vegas Strip. The two bridges are anticipated to cost $8 million. If the county creates a special improvement district, it would pay half the cost and the Strip property owners would pay the balance.

The holdout casinos had plenty of notice that further delays were unacceptable. The County Commission made it clear last month that if the Flamingo Hilton and Barbary Coast couldn't come to an agreement, it would move forward with its own proposal.

As the Sun's Jeff Schweers reported Wednesday, the commission's decision is the final step in completing the four-bridge circuit connecting the properties at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road. Last December the commission approved the agreement made by the Bellagio hotel-casino with Caesars Palace and Bally's to build the south and west bridges at the intersection. Those bridges are set to be ready in September when Bellagio opens.

"It's something we can live with," Hilton lawyer Greg Jensen said of the commission's decision on Tuesday. Mike Leavitt, a Barbary Coast lawyer, said he was pleased by the commission's decision. But then what business wouldn't be pleased with the deal these casinos got: public financing for a bridge that provides their properties with a huge benefit.

The county did the right thing in moving forward to help ease traffic congestion and reduce pedestrian dangers. If anything, the County Commission exercised too much patience for three years while casinos frittered away valuable time, but the casinos shouldn't expect that the public will be as forgiving and forget their lack of action any time soon.

It's amazing that the casinos -- usually so obsessed with their public image -- have failed to grasp how their credibility with local residents has suffered over this issue.

archive