LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix will be taking over the streets of Las Vegas in just under four weeks.
Construction on and around the Strip is ongoing and part of the changes include the bridge at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.
In 2023, the area surrounding the bridge was nearly deserted, with drivers having difficulty accessing nearby businesses and excessive amounts of traffic.
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But this year, according to business owners, things seem to have improved quite a bit.
“It was miserable because traffic was already such a headache and then construction on top of that restricted the traffic even more. This year it hasn’t been as bad but the restricted access did still hit us,” said Hoshang Raj, an employee at Las Vegas Souvenirs and Gifts.
The store just so happens to sit right on the Formula 1 race track, so when construction revved up in 2023, it caused major disruptions to traffic and nearby business owners claimed to have lost millions of dollars.
“I don't know how we could recover, we just look towards the next day or the next time we could make proper sales,” Raj said.
This year, Raj was nervous not knowing what the impact of the construction would be.
“We were dreading how long the construction process would take,” Raj said.
But now, Formula 1 organizers made adjustments, only erecting the bridge in one direction of traffic. Although those who work nearby say the construction has still caused some inconveniences, they say it’s not nearly as bad as before.
“That means they’re willing to listen, so they’re willing to compromise. It’s not that we're not going to listen and we’re just going to do what we did last time and make it a disaster again,” Raj said.
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As race day approaches, business owners are hoping these adjustments set a precedent for future F1 races.
The F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is scheduled to take place on the weekend of Nov. 22 - Nov. 24, and is set to be the 22nd race of the Formula 1 season.
