Board approves pedestrian bridge to link Treasure Island, Venetian

Before the year is over, a pedestrian walkway will link Treasure Island with the Venetian hotel-casino along the Las Vegas Strip.

The Clark County Planning Commission endorsed a plan Tuesday night to allow the two resorts to build the $4 million bridge, which will be 900 feet south of Spring Mountain Road.

Initially, the county planning staff recommended against approving the construction of the bridge at that location.

"We think bridges should be constructed near intersections, not in the middle of blocks," Charles Pulsipher, a senior management analyst for the planning department, said. "We think by allowing bridges to be built mid-block, we could see a proliferation of bridges along the Strip. That could detract from appearance of the Strip. Let's face it, there is no place else in the world like the Strip."

While the staff did not change its recommendation, its members noted at the meeting that they did not have all of the facts they needed when making their decision.

A main reason it would be difficult to build a bridge at Spring Mountain Road is that the lake used for the Treasure Island pirate show would interfere with its construction, said Mark Russell, vice president and general counsel for Mirage resorts, which owns Treasure Island.

Some members of the commission expressed concern that the escalators on the eastern end of the bridge would bring walkers directly onto the Venetian property rather than onto the public sidewalk.

"This would not be bringing them into the casino itself. They would be entering a large open courtyard, like you might see in Venice. It's really a beautiful place," David Friedman, assistant to the chairman of the board at the Venetian, said.

In fact, the structure to accommodate the escalators already has been constructed. Friedman added that it would now be difficult to change the design of the bridge significantly because the Venetian is nearing completion. The resort is slated to open in April.

At least one commission member expressed concern that a structure was already complete for the escalators before the planning commission had even voted. "We have people who can't build block walls around their property (without permission). How on earth did they do this?" Charlie Johnson, a member of the commission, said.

The new bridge will be about 130 feet long and between 25 and 30 feet high.

The commission ultimately voted 4-3 to approve the project. This will be the final vote on the matter unless it is appealed to the Clark County Commission.

Russell said it shouldn't be surprising that competitors such as Treasure Island and the Venetian are working together on this project. "Mirage Resorts benefits from a strong Venetian," he said. "We want a strong, prosperous neighborhood. As much as we would like to think otherwise, people don't usually go to just one casino and gamble for 100 percent of their time."

In a related development, Clark County Public Works Director Marty Manning said the county will open bidding Jan. 27 on construction of two pedestrian bridges at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.

After hotel-casinos at the intersection failed to agree on how they would pay for the bridges, the County Commission voted to go forward with the project using its resort corridor funds.

Manning said the contract should be awarded in February. Construction should begin in March and take nine months to complete.

archive