LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is just days away. The opening ceremony is on Wednesday, practices on Thursday, practice and the qualifier on Friday, and the race on Saturday.
Construction crews are still working on all the final touches to the track, which is causing major traffic delays.
Those delays are only slated to worsen as all 45 entrances to the race track and the track itself will be closed for several hours Wednesday through Saturday.
We previously reported a full list of the road closure dates and times.
With the increased traffic, construction crews and F1 officials tell Channel 13 people who do not need to visit the Strip on race days should avoid the area.
On race days, Thursday through Saturday, all track entrances and the track itself will be closed for about 11 hours daily.
The closures are expected to create a huge traffic jam, so F1 officials have set up different transportation options to help alleviate congestion.
The options include monorail, rideshare services, and even shuttles.
"That shuttle that we're providing comes over the Flamingo bridge and makes a loop around the interior properties so that those individuals can get to those properties," said Terry Miller of Miller Project Management.
F1 has shuttle locations throughout the track, with the pickup point outside the track perimeter being Hughes Center.
All resort parking is also open, and several locations off Flamingo Rd. and Harmon Ave. are rideshare drop-off and pick-up locations.
If you are driving, you'll want to stay away from the Strip on race days unless you're staying at a hotel or going to the race. All vehicle bridges are only available to people with race tickets and those staying at resorts inside the track perimeter.
The county will also have the monorail running 24 hours on race days and will use 3 to 8 trains, depending on how heavy the traffic is.
F1 says once the track closes, expect traffic delays to get worse. Drivers are already fed up with current delays, though. That includes F1 construction workers, who are also feeling the frustration.
MORE: ‘Leave 3 hours early’: Las Vegas Strip workers plan commute ahead of F1
"Every morning is a little different. Maybe another street is closed," said construction worker Edward Gaston. "I'm thinking about getting a motorized scooter and parking my car somewhere, but it's very annoying and irritable."
F1 officials say the traffic impact will likely be at its worst this first year but should decrease through the years.
