LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is 87 days away. The race is set to take over the Las Vegas Strip dramatically.
On Tuesday, officials with F1 announced that temporary vehicular bridges will be constructed around the track to allow for traffic to move through easily on the days leading up to the Grand Prix and on race day.
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Officials say several bridges will be set up at major intersections surrounding the track. One of the largest bridges will be 760 feet long and built on Flamingo Road over Koval Lane.
Officials say this is the first time bridges like these have been built and installed for an F1 race.
“We don’t have a lot of overpasses in the resort corridor that allow traffic to move freely over the main circuit area, so we have to build the overpasses,” said Terry Miller, the project manager for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “We still have to be able to move customers over the top of our track when we are racing. We also have to make sure emergency vehicles can get over the track when we are racing, and we have to ensure that our employees that have to go and service and be a part of those resorts can move in and out of those areas.”
The bridges are temporary, but engineers say they are designed to meet highway standards, emphasizing that they are safe to drive over..
Once installed, the bridges will be open for public use on Thursday, November 16th, and Friday, November 17th, leading up to the Grand Prix. The bridges will also be open on race day which is on Saturday, November 18th. Crews will shut the bridges down at night on each of those days from about 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. as they finalize logistics for the race.
Officials say the plan is to install the bridges sometime at the end of October or early November. The bridges will be removed after the race but reused for at least the next ten years while F1 is in Las Vegas.
