Vote delayed on final permits for monorail extension

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016 | 1:02 p.m.

The Clark County Commission delayed voting today on zoning permits for the Las Vegas Monorail Co. to extend service to Mandalay Bay.

The vote was put off for two weeks until after the Southern Nevada Water District Authority and developers meet next week over concerns that support columns for the monorail would interfere with a pipe that supplies water to the Strip.

The monorail infrastructure would impact access to the pipe if there was ever a need for improvements, Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. “I am not comfortable when the Water Authority says we’re building this on top of their main lateral,” he said.

On Tuesday, the commission approved a 1.14-mile expansion of the monorail line to south Strip properties. The permits are a final hurdle to move forward.

The nonprofit Las Vegas Monorail Co. must acquire funding and begin construction within two years. Construction is projected to take 18 months.

The project would extend the monorail line to a total of 5 miles, taking it from the MGM Grand to another stop between Mandalay Bay and the Luxor.

The extension has been touted as a means of transporting people closer to an NFL-ready stadium proposed for the south end of the resort corridor.

The two-week hold will not affect the project’s timeline, a Monorail Co. representative told county officials today.