The rapid transit system known as the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop will be expanding its underground tunnel network to include several major properties and ultimately weave its way to Los Angeles.
Allegiant to Sacrifice Parking Spots
Sometimes you must give to get, and that is what is happening at Allegiant Stadium as officials are prepared to eliminate nearly 200 on-site parking spots to make way for a Vegas Loop station, which will effectuate more transportation options. The above-ground station is slated to be 288 feet by 123 feet at the northwest corner of the stadium.
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the juice is worth the squeeze in terms of sacrificing those coveted sparking spaces.
“When you think about taking a parking spot out here, if the Boring Company delivers two cars for every spot it takes out, it’s double the amount of effective parking,” Hill said. “It’s not hard for that system to take the place of parking. It’ll improve it pretty significantly.”
The Boring Company Hill referred to is the brainchild of billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The underground tunnel tributaries will connect the Las Vegas Convention Center with commercial properties throughout the city, Harry Reid International Airport, and beyond. Tesla electric automobiles will whisk passengers to and fro through one-lane passageways replete with neon lights.
According to the Boring Company’s website, “Clark County and the City of Las Vegas have approved a total of 68 miles of tunnel and 104 stations for the Vegas Loop.”
Ultimately, the Loop will connect Las Vegas to Los Angeles if all things go according to plan.
A’s Ballpark Will Be Connected
Assuming the construction schedule is fulfilled, the new Athletics Stadium that is being built on the site of the recently demolished Tropicana will be connected to the Loop in time for its completion in 2028. This also means the adjoining new Bally’s hotel and casino will also be one of its many destinations.
“We’ve got to work with the Tropicana, with MGM, because there’s several spots (MGM Resorts properties) along the way; I think that is driving the timeline right now more than the stadium is,” Hill said. “It is one of two or three legs to the system that they’re (Boring Co.) currently working on to get done. So, soon. It won’t be measured in years. It’ll be in the next year-and-a-half when they’ll get started on that and be working toward all of those connections.”
Matthew Weber, an operations manager for the Boring Company, said a station at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino will be open any day, and the Encore Las Vegas is scheduled to have its own station in the coming months.
The Loop currently has 104 Tesla vehicles dedicated to five stations, with the most recent opening at Resorts World Las Vegas.
“For every 100 people we take from Resorts World to the convention center in the morning… we send back 120 to 130 in the evening,” Weber said.
“Is it New York City subway? No, not yet. But we’re slowly getting there,” Weber added.
