A year ago, Las Vegas Strip workers and small business owners were feeling the strain. The Formula 1 Grand Prix, slated for November, had organizers busy repaving Las Vegas Boulevard, setting up barriers, and constructing a temporary bridge.
The result? Weeks of snarled traffic that drove customers away, leaving affected businesses struggling. Now, some are suing to recover their losses.
This year, the race is back, but preparations are less disruptive — no need for another round of road paving for a few years. So, as the race draws near, what can we expect this time around?
TRAFFIC AND CONSTRUCTION
Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of corporate affairs for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, said F1 officials are going to implement an updated transportation plan this year that aims to mitigate disruption.
“Paving was a huge undertaking, and we are glad that is behind us,” Nelson-Kraft said.
“Circuit setup will start after labor day, so you'll see a very compressed timeframe [of construction]. The majority of the work will happen in the overnight hours with lane reductions. We also found a way to reduce the scale and size of the Flamingo-Koval temporary bridge.”
That temporary bridge, which allows the race circuit to go through the intersection at Flamingo and Koval, is a locus of controversy. Businesses adjacent to the bridge claim they suffered reduced traffic and significant losses in revenue when it was up last year. Originally four lanes, the bridge will be reduced to two this year and will be on the northside of the intersection rather than the south, Nelson-Kraft said.
To ease traffic delays and other concerns that locals may have when setup for the race begins in early September, F1 created an interactive website announcing when and where construction is happening.
“It’s a very interactive, user-friendly website that allows the user to view any of the weeks from the circuit setup, race week to dismantling,” Nelson-Kraft said.
“It’s in English and Spanish," she added. "You can hover over an area of the circuit and see if there is any work, or you can look at static color-coded information. It’s also mobile and tablet friendly.”
In addition, locals can sign up for weekly text alerts on circuit preparation by texting F1LV to 31996.
LAWSUITS INCOMING
Local businesses claim they suffered significant losses of revenue and traffic due to last year's F1 setup, and many of them are afraid of the same happening this year if their concerns aren’t addressed.
Wade Bohn, owner of Jay’s Market, a 24-hour gas station and convenience store adjacent to the location of the temporary bridge at the Koval-Flamingo intersection, said in a county commission meeting earlier this year that the bridge impacted his business. “I got to have a fantastic bridge built right in front of my door that took all the traffic away from me,” Bohn said.
“For an hour-and-a-half race, they destroy all of us. We don’t need F1, they need us,” he added.
Mimmo Ferraro, with Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, said during that same county commission meeting his business's revenue was down $2 million compared to previous years because of F1 construction.
A Change.org petition to stop F1 if improvements aren’t made evolved into a movement, which has now evolved into legal action by several local businesses. Jay’s Market, Ferraro’s Ristorante, Battista’s Hole In The Wall Italian Restaurant, Stage Door Casino, and a business owner who claims he lost multiple businesses due to F1 have all banded together.
Lisa Mayo DeRiso, a public relations and business consultant representing the businesses and their owners, said they are looking for compensation for lost revenue and accountability by Clark County and F1 for allowing the event to interfere with public right of ways and roadways.
“Flamingo, Koval, Tropicana, the Strip — all of these are considered public right of ways, which businesses rely on,” DeRiso said. “It would be different if they weren’t closing down the lifeblood of our city, the resort corridor. If they were out at the Las Vegas Speedway for example, private land, something like that, we’d have nothing to say.”
Nevada Public Radio invited Clark County to be a part of the on-air discussion, but county representatives declined due to scheduling conflicts.
DeRiso also suggested a way the county could provide relief to businesses. “There should be a fund set up," she said. "If you’re a business or an employer that lost money, there should be a process to which you can apply to be reimbursed through this fund."
The Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix is set to take place November 21-23, 2024.
Guests: Lisa Mayo DeRiso, public relations and business consultant; Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of corporate affairs, Las Vegas Grand Prix
