Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Goodman clings to downtown NFL stadium dream; traffic study reveals why

2017 Las Vegas State of the City

Steve Marcus

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman gives the State of the City address at Las Vegas City Hall in downtown Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman persistently advocates downtown for the proposed NFL stadium for the Raiders, raising the question: Which is better? The Cashman Field site or the Raiders’ favorite, the Russell Road site?

The Raiders appeared to move on from downtown last year, narrowing their choices to the Russell Road site just west of Interstate 15 and the Bali Hai site east of Interstate 15 just south of Mandalay Bay. And in an email to the Sun last week, the Raiders confirmed their preference, stating “we’re focused on the Russell Road site.”

Although the Raiders are resolute about the Russell Road site, Goodman believes that if the Raiders are approved for relocation, which could occur as early as Monday when the NFL owners meet in Phoenix, some infrastructure costs might open the door to Cashman.

She noted that Rudy Malfabon, Nevada Department of Transportation director, has said that planned freeway improvements would have to be accelerated to accommodate the proposed 65,000-seat domed stadium at the Russell Road site.

“I asked if those were fully bonded, and he (Malfabon) said no — we would have to borrow from projects we have planned, some of which aren’t even funded,” she said.

“So, at that point, I became even more convinced than I was before, that Cashman was the best site,” Goodman said. “When you look at the infrastructure that's already there and what will be there when Project Neon finishes, then with its extra value with it being a redevelopment area with a variety of tax incentives …. “You’d be brain-dead not to put it at Cashman.”

Cashman site’s advantages included the proximity of Interstate 15 and U.S. 95, having four access routes to the area and Project Neon being fully funded with its bonding finishing up, Goodman said, noting a traffic study the city commissioned last year when seven sites were still being considered.

Although she doesn't think the Russell Road site itself is bad, Goodman doesn’t see where all the money to fund the bevy of transportation projects would come from.

“The site is lovely out there, but I don’t believe the county is going to put money into the monorail and the monorail doesn’t even go to the airport. That leg is astronomical. Who’s paying for that?” Goodman questioned. “I can assure you Bank of America or the Oakland Raiders aren’t paying for that. So all of a sudden what was coming out of the room tax is now going to fall to the tax-paying citizens of (Southern Nevada).”

Goodman said that she is going to wait and see if the NFL owners vote in favor of the Raiders coming to Las Vegas. If they are given the green light, she will wait and see what the studies say about the infrastructure costs.

If the Raiders’ Russell Road plan in Clark County's jurisdiction falls through the cracks, Goodman said she is ready to talk with the team again about the Cashman site in the city's purview.

If that scenario occurs and the stadium is built at Cashman, it would fulfill a dream she and her husband, former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, have had for the better part of the last 15 years to bring major league sports to downtown. She said they will celebrate in a low-key manner, considering what would be a major score.

“I’d walk in the door at home, and we’d give each other a high five and that would be the end of it,” she said.

Results of Traffic Study

Any location would need significant infrastructure to make it ready for game day. The city of Las Vegas had the same firm which carried out NDOT’s traffic study last year, CH2M, to show the strengths and weaknesses of each of the proposed sites.

“Nationwide transportation experts from the firm of CH2M were hired to do an objective analysis of the existing and planned transportation systems around all of the proposed stadium sites,” said Mike Janssen, the city’s Public Works Department deputy director/transportation manager. “Based on their objective findings, the Cashman site was clearly the most logical and cost-effective site to locate an NFL stadium.”

Each category was given a score from one to five based on CH2M’s evaluating metrics for each, with one being less desirable and five being most desirable.

The Cashman site was the clear-cut winner based on the various factors used in CH2M’s analytics. It was the only site out of the seven studied to have an average score of 5, with the Russell Road site scoring a 2 average.

“Cashman is the most practical site, according to the study (released in October),” Janssen said.

A breakdown of the study's findings, comparing the Cashman Field and Russell Road sites:

Committed/Programmed Funding

Cashman Field: 5

The Cashman Field site has up to $2.46 billion in total estimated programmed funds for proposed off-site improvements.

The projects include: Project Neon ($1 billion), a proposed light rail along Las Vegas Boulevard and Cashman Center ($48-$469 million), an urban light rail running along Maryland Parkway from McCarran International Airport with the potential to run to the Cashman site ($465 million).

Russell Road: 2

There is up to $1.1 billion in total estimated programmed funds for off-site improvement, according to the study.

The projects include proposed light rail along Las Vegas Boulevard from the airport to Cashman Center (up to $486 million), widening of Interstate 15 between Tropicana Avenue and St. Rose Parkway ($343 million), reconstructing Interstate 15/Tropicana Avenue interchange ($150 million) and extending the monorail to a station at Mandalay Bay ($120 million) among the costliest of projects.

Proximity/Access to Interstate

Cashman Field: 5

The Cashman site scored higher than the Russell Road site as far as proximity to interstate transportation. The study showed that Cashman is accessible by two major freeways (U.S. 95 and Interstate 15) and will have four existing interchanges by 2019 for motorists. The existence of diverse routes was labeled as the biggest reason Cashman had a high in this category, the report said.

Future projects include frontage roads on Interstate 15 between Lake Mead Boulevard and Washington Avenue which could be complete in the next five years.

Russell Road: 4

The Russell Road site is near Interstates 15 and 215 and accessible within one or two signalized interchanges, the report noted. Future projects that could be complete in the next six to 10 years include direct access to the stadium from Interstate 15 via high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) ramps at Hacienda Avenue and Mandalay Bay Road, in addition to HOV and direct-access ramps to the airport..

Opening-Year Street Network Performance (Based on 2019)

Russell Road: 5

Scoring its only 5 on the study, the Russell Road site scored higher than the other sites because of the surrounding freeway and local roadways are expected to have the most road capacity in 2019. Factoring Interstates 15 and 215, Russell Road, Dean Martin Drive and Hacienda Avenue, the area could accommodate a total of 525,700 vehicles daily.

Cashman Field: 4

Tied with Bali Hai for second in the category, the Cashman site had a high score because of current roads and those expected to be in the area by 2019, accommodating an average 405,900 vehicles daily. Factored in were Interstates 15 and 515, Las Vegas Boulevard, Washington Avenue and Maryland Parkway.

Future Street Network Performance

Cashman Field: 4

Russell Road: 4

The two sites tied in the future street network performance as the two sites are forecast to have the most roadway capacity on their surrounding freeway and local roads by 2035.

The Russell Road site is expected to have an average daily capacity of 611,600 (Interstates 15 and 215, Russell Road, Dean Martin Drive and Hacienda Avenue) compared to Cashman Field 434,900 (Interstates 15 and 515, Las Vegas Boulevard, Washington Avenue and Maryland Parkway) capacity.

Pedestrian Connectivity

Cashman Field: 3

Cashman came slightly ahead of the Russell Road site, scoring a 3 out of 5. Proximity to ADA-compliant sidewalks, access to nearby hotels, transit service stops in walking distance and being less than a mile away from Fremont Street attractions defined Cashman’s score.

Russell Road: 2

Minimum standard sidewalks around the site, being in an industrial area, bus service in walking distance and limited off-site parking resulted in Russell Road’s lower score.

Public Transit and Alternative Modes

Cashman Field: 5

Based largely on potential future projects, the Cashman Field site scored a perfect five out of five. Included are the potential rail service from the airport to downtown and throughout downtown. Existing transit in the area, including RTC bus stops across from the site and additional stops a quarter-mile away, were also factored in.

Russell Road: 2

Russell Road scored fairly low in the category based off possible future expansion of the RTC bus servce and a light rail service stop half-a-mile away from the site and the possible monorail expansion with a potential station across Interstate 15 at Mandalay Bay.

On-site and Off-site Parking

Cashman Field: 5

Cashman Field scored a five because of the 20 acres of surface parking currently on site, and a total lot size of 85 acres. There are also 25,000 parking stalls in garages, 17,000 parking stalls on surface lots located half-a-mile to one mile away in Downtown Las Vegas.

Russell Road: 2

The Russell Road site scored low because no parking currently exists on the 60-acre site. Parking at the Mandalay Bay and Luxor properties located a quarter-mile away were noted in the report.

Tailgating Experience

Cashman Field: 3

The Cashman Field site showed more promise for tailgating than the Russell Road site, according to the study.

The Fremont Street Experience and the casinos, bars and restaurants near the site were noted near the Cashman Field site. The report also noted the site has fewer opportunities for adjacent event-related development since it is located in a highly residential area as opposed to a commercial or retail one

Russell Road: 2

The report noted that the Russell Road site was a quarter-mile away from the Mandalay Bay and Luxor properties and had many available dining options in the area. The potential for event-related development at the Russell Road site was seen as medium.

Directional Vehicle Access

Cashman Field: 4

Ingress and egress from all directions with streets such as Washington Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard were noted as a plus for the Cashman Field site. The ability to close lanes and restrict access to roads such as Maryland Parkway due to lower traffic volumes outside of the resort corridor also helped the site score high in this category.

Russell Road: 1

Scoring the lowest number the study allowed in the category, the Russell Road site showed that ingress and egress could occur in both directions of travel on Polaris Avenue or possibly Mandalay Bay. Temporary lane closures are not likely on Russell Road because of the close proximity to the Interstate 15 interchange, but closures on Dean Martin Drive and Polaris Avene were noted as possible on game days.

Timing of Off-Site Improvements

Cashman Field: 5

There were 13 off-site improvement plans listed under the Cashman FIeld site: nine were short term (1 to 5 years), two mid-term (6 to 10 years) and two long-term (11-20 years).

Russell Road: 1

There were seven off-site improvements noted in the Russell Road site section, with one of those being noted as short-term, four mid-term and two long-term.

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