Lauren Negrete and Julia Romero
35 minutes ago
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The temporary bridge at Flamingo Road and Koval Lane that was installed during Formula 1 will be removed before Super Bowl III is held in Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, Las Vegas Grand Prix staff announced the project and impending road closures. This has been a bridge through difficult situations for business owners who have lost customers. Wade Vaughn, owner of Jay's Market on Flamingo Road, is relieved but not unscathed.
“Business is down 75%, and it's all because of the bridge,” he said, adding that the store and Shell station typically generate $8 million in annual sales, but lost much of that revenue and half of its employees. Told.
Because of the Flamingo Road bridge, going to the convenience store was never convenient. Mr. Vaughn even lost his Sabus Port tenant. The sandwich shop closed at the end of December.
Paving work on the bridge bypassing Jay's Market began in April.
Drivers must take back roads or make U-turns over bridges to get to the store.
“You know where I am, but you don't know how to get to me,” Vaughn said.
He said his business depends on the bridge collapsing and he wants to ensure it collapses immediately after the next race rather than delaying it for additional months.
He added that his business depends on the bridge collapsing and he wants to ensure it falls right after the next race rather than being delayed for additional months.
Long-time staples Stage Door Casino and Battista's Restaurant are just steps away.
Owner Randy Mirkin said F1 was an exciting idea at first. “At the end of the day, it was a disaster for our business. It destroyed our business. This Flamingo Corridor and the surrounding area, the traffic and the roadworks all got out of control. ”
Mirkin said business has recovered about 80%, but patrons are still avoiding traffic from the bridge.
“Over the past eight or nine months, our typical sales have been down $4.5 million to $5 million.”
Owners praised Clark County commissioners for the removal. Mirkin and Bourne are scheduled to meet with representatives from F1 and the Las Vegas Tourism Authority on Friday and Monday.
Vaughn said he expects compensation and Mirkin said he expects them to bridge the gap.
“We've got to solve this problem for the next 10 years, and we've got to make sure everyone is taken care of, not just a few hotels along the Strip,” Markin said.
F1 and the LVCVA did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Clark County released the following statement regarding the bridge to 8 News Now Thursday evening.
“Clark County is allowing the removal of the bridge at Flamingo and Koval because it was always intended to be temporary. It was left in place so it could collect traffic data, which will be used in a study to assess the impact on traffic along local streets when the intersection has and does not have a bridge. ” – Clark County
The removal process began on Sunday and is expected to continue until February 1st.
Interested parties can text F1-LV to 31996 to receive traffic updates.
