Las Vegas Boulevard

[kernals12]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

[jeffandnicole]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

You haven't actually driven the Strip at night, have you? Those cars aren't going very fast at all.

[Plutonic Panda]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

[DenverBrian]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

[kernals12]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

[Max Rockatansky]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

Bad time to mention I used to run much of the strip through Paradise to downtown Las Vegas when I overnighted in the area for work?

[Plutonic Panda]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

Yeah count me as someone against that idea. I'm not sure what traffic counts are on the strip but I'm sure they have to be up there there is so much traffic on there all times of the day.

[SeriesE]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

[DenverBrian]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

Fremont Street: "Hold my beer."

[Max Rockatansky]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

Fremont Street: "Hold my beer."

Fremont I'd argue is the more interesting street to walk/run/pedestrian on given it's in an older part of Las Vegas and tends to display more of the local nuttiness.

[kernals12]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

They already tried a monorail. It was really more of a Shelbyville idea.

[kernals12]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

Fremont Street: "Hold my beer."

Fremont Street is a lot narrower.

[Max Rockatansky]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

They already tried a monorail. It was really more of a Shelbyville idea.

Posting out of obligation:

[kernals12]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

They already tried a monorail. It was really more of a Shelbyville idea.

Posting out of obligation:

I call the big one bitey

[Alps]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

lmk when a people mover solves freeway-level ADT problems

[SeriesE]

Driving down the Strip is something people come to Vegas from all over the world to do. Watching the bright lights flash past your windshield is a mesmerizing experience, one that can't be replicated at walking speeds. Turning Las Vegas Boulevard into a tunnel would ruin that.

I think they should instead grade separate the intersections with cross streets passing underneath the Strip.

Which is why I suggested an elevated metro train/people mover system. It preserves the magic of the strip while solving the traffic problem.

lmk when a people mover solves freeway-level ADT problems

Vancouver's SkyTrain, Tokyo's Yurikamome and Taipei's Wenhu Line uses rolling stock similar to people movers (driverless and rubber tires) and latter two have daily average ridership of over 200,000. That's about the same as I-15's AADT of that area.

[Plutonic Panda]

Or, and just hear me out, we could do what other major cities have done you know a proven concept like the noble subway. It doesn't affect the street above(still allows for the same amount of lanes), provides greater mobility, doesn't force people to rely on cabs and Uber saving people money, and potentially reduces ADT counts on the road. At the same time expand the elevated monorail as well to make it more useful to move people between hotels without having to travel below. It isn't like the money isn't there. Vegas is flush with cash.

[jeffandnicole]

Or, and just hear me out, we could do what other major cities have done you know a proven concept like the noble subway. It doesn't affect the street above(still allows for the same amount of lanes), provides greater mobility, doesn't force people to rely on cabs and Uber saving people money, and potentially reduces ADT counts on the road. At the same time expand the elevated monorail as well to make it more useful to move people between hotels without having to travel below. It isn't like the money isn't there. Vegas is flush with cash.

The area you're referring to isn't in Las Vegas. I doubt the city is going to give their money to the county for use elsewhere.

Also, I always wonder why people think an area is "flush with money". Are their financials showing a multi-hundred million dollar surplus? Why wouldn't they use the money now to reduce congestion, build more overhead crosswalks, etc.?

[Plutonic Panda]

Or, and just hear me out, we could do what other major cities have done you know a proven concept like the noble subway. It doesn't affect the street above(still allows for the same amount of lanes), provides greater mobility, doesn't force people to rely on cabs and Uber saving people money, and potentially reduces ADT counts on the road. At the same time expand the elevated monorail as well to make it more useful to move people between hotels without having to travel below. It isn't like the money isn't there. Vegas is flush with cash.

The area you're referring to isn't in Las Vegas. I doubt the city is going to give their money to the county for use elsewhere.

Also, I always wonder why people think an area is "flush with money". Are their financials showing a multi-hundred million dollar surplus? Why wouldn't they use the money now to reduce congestion, build more overhead crosswalks, etc.?

Yeah that's true it's not Las Vegas city limits per se. I guess it's unincorporated county I'm not sure exactly doesn't mean it can't be done. I guess people think the areas flush with cash given the reality of how much money is invested in the area which is evident when you drive through it. There's apparently enough money to build a private monorail and $1 billion movie theater I'm sure they can handle building a five to $10 billion subway.

[jeffandnicole]

Or, and just hear me out, we could do what other major cities have done you know a proven concept like the noble subway. It doesn't affect the street above(still allows for the same amount of lanes), provides greater mobility, doesn't force people to rely on cabs and Uber saving people money, and potentially reduces ADT counts on the road. At the same time expand the elevated monorail as well to make it more useful to move people between hotels without having to travel below. It isn't like the money isn't there. Vegas is flush with cash.

The area you're referring to isn't in Las Vegas. I doubt the city is going to give their money to the county for use elsewhere.

Also, I always wonder why people think an area is "flush with money". Are their financials showing a multi-hundred million dollar surplus? Why wouldn't they use the money now to reduce congestion, build more overhead crosswalks, etc.?

Yeah that's true it's not Las Vegas city limits per se. I guess it's unincorporated county I'm not sure exactly doesn't mean it can't be done. I guess people think the areas flush with cash given the reality of how much money is invested in the area which is evident when you drive through it. There's apparently enough money to build a private monorail and $1 billion movie theater I'm sure they can handle building a five to $10 billion subway.

The county didn't build it. It was a private tram between two casinos, expanded by a private firm, which eventually went belly-up, and the county took over operations of the monorail.

If a private company has the money to build a people mover, no doubt they'll do it. Not sure where they're get revenues to offset those expenses though. Many casinos had free exhibits outside their casinos, but reduced or eliminated them over the years because people on the sidewalk isn't drawing them into the casinos. The Mirage's volcano and Ballegio's fountains are the only significant free exhibits left viewable from the Strip, and Wynn has said in the past he realized it was a mistake to build the Fountains in the manner he did

[Plutonic Panda]

Or, and just hear me out, we could do what other major cities have done you know a proven concept like the noble subway. It doesn't affect the street above(still allows for the same amount of lanes), provides greater mobility, doesn't force people to rely on cabs and Uber saving people money, and potentially reduces ADT counts on the road. At the same time expand the elevated monorail as well to make it more useful to move people between hotels without having to travel below. It isn't like the money isn't there. Vegas is flush with cash.

The area you're referring to isn't in Las Vegas. I doubt the city is going to give their money to the county for use elsewhere.

Also, I always wonder why people think an area is "flush with money". Are their financials showing a multi-hundred million dollar surplus? Why wouldn't they use the money now to reduce congestion, build more overhead crosswalks, etc.?

Yeah that's true it's not Las Vegas city limits per se. I guess it's unincorporated county I'm not sure exactly doesn't mean it can't be done. I guess people think the areas flush with cash given the reality of how much money is invested in the area which is evident when you drive through it. There's apparently enough money to build a private monorail and $1 billion movie theater I'm sure they can handle building a five to $10 billion subway.

The county didn't build it. It was a private tram between two casinos, expanded by a private firm, which eventually went belly-up, and the county took over operations of the monorail.

If a private company has the money to build a people mover, no doubt they'll do it. Not sure where they're get revenues to offset those expenses though. Many casinos had free exhibits outside their casinos, but reduced or eliminated them over the years because people on the sidewalk isn't drawing them into the casinos. The Mirage's volcano and Ballegio's fountains are the only significant free exhibits left viewable from the Strip, and Wynn has said in the past he realized it was a mistake to build the Fountains in the manner he did

I said private monorail. The point was that the money exists. I gave multiple examples of how much investment happens on the strip. Money for a subway is there.

[jeffandnicole]

What is that billion dollar theater you're referring to anyway?

[Plutonic Panda]

What is that billion dollar theater you're referring to anyway?

Sorry I was wrong about that, it's actually 1.8 billion dollars:

https://youtu.be/ydOn8qwLJzA

[DenverBrian]

No one is saying that Las Vegas Blvd. should be tunneled. Not sure how that idea came to be.

<raises hand> I kind of did, but more as a way to point out just how expensive something like that would be.

Perhaps more reasonable would be to convert the Strip to a pedestrian mall from Tropicana to Desert Inn, with deliveries and guest reception via Koval and Dean Martin. The money attraction for this (and any change will undoubtedly be because someone can make more money) would be to add copious amounts of retail down the center of the pedestrian concourse.  For city traffic flow, you'd probably have to overpass/underpass Flamingo and Spring Mountain.

No, this would not be reasonable. As I said before, people like driving on the strip. The Strip is not remotely human scaled and it would make for an unpleasant pedestrian environment with the desert sun beating down on a 100 foot wide, 2 mile long windswept plaza.

Fremont Street: "Hold my beer."

Fremont Street is a lot narrower.

Which is why lots of retail, restaurants, etc. down the middle of the Strip would work - lots more land.

[jeffandnicole]

What is that billion dollar theater you're referring to anyway?

Sorry I was wrong about that, it's actually 1.8 billion dollars:

https://youtu.be/ydOn8qwLJzA

Interesting. Hadn't heard of that project before.

That said, I still don't see the relationship between a private company buiding an expensive project, and a county or city having lots of money to build a pipe-dream project.  There's more tax money as a result of the extra infrastructure, but that tax money isn't going to do much more than help with basic utilities, help pave some roads or hire an extra employee.

While many tend to focus on the Strip, the area is just like any other metro area - the taxes that roll in for this project will be used throughout the county.