As the finishing touches are made to the construction of the Las Vegas F1 circuit ahead of this year’s race, residents and tourists are finding their views of the world-famous strip completely ruined by some of the building works.
2023 was the first time that Formula 1 had raced in Las Vegas in over 30 years. In that time the city has become much more popular, and much busier.
Constructing a race circuit in the middle of Sin City that uses part of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip is going to involve a lot of disruption. Last year residents and workers were up in arms about the traffic congestion and chaos as the whole circuit route had to be re-tarmacked.
Additionally, F1 organisers ordered the sides of the pedestrian bridges to be blanked off so non-ticket holders couldn’t get a look at the action for free. This year they’ve gone one step further.
Traffic chaos
Thankfully, for the 2024 race the whole circuit route didn’t need to be re-surfaced. That was done last year to make sure the track met the FIA circuit standards, and luckily it didn’t need to be done this year.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still traffic chaos around the whole city, thanks to the construction works that have taken place to erect the circuit barriers, fences, kerbs, lighting gantries, grandstand seating and other infrastructure needed to support the race.
Last year the race organisers receive huge numbers of complaints from residents and workers who saw their commutes to and from the hotels and casinos on the strip increase massively, often adding hours to their journeys.
In a bid to counter that, this year the Las Vegas GP organisers launched a new website to help communicate to locals which construction works and road closures would be in effect in the build-up, during and post-race.
Whilst this helps residents and workers plan their journeys, it doesn’t detract from the fact that at various times the major routes in and out of central Las Vegas are closed.
To counter that, once again temporary bridges have been constructed over keys sections of the track. These are on East Harmon and Koval Lane and allow emergency vehicles, guests, employees and tourists to cross the track and access the venues inside its perimeter.
Pedestrian bridges barriered off
Some of the most recognisable features of Sin City are the glass pedestrian bridges, complete with escalator at either end, that cross Las Vegas Boulevard and the other main roads around the centre of town.
Not only do these make crossing the main roads easy, they also give some of the best vantage points to view the sights of Vegas, day or night.
Last year, in a bid to avoid non-ticket holders getting a view of the Formula 1 action, the organisers decided to try and cover the glass panels of the bridges with an opaque film.
But tourists and residents alike took umbridge to this and in numerous places started peeling the film off as it blocked their view not only of the circuit, but of the many Vegas landmarks which they rightly felt entitled to see.
This year, organisers have gone one step further. Rather than relying on an adhesive film, they have erected solid barriers on either side of the bridges.
Locals have been posting images on twitter of the eye-sores that are being erected. Organisers say it’s for safety reasons; to avoid the bridges being overloaded with people and to stop anything being dropped on to the circuit below.
But it’s more likely that they want to stop anyone getting a chance to watch the race for free, especially when tickets are so expensive.
If you’re a tourist visiting Vegas around the time of the Formula 1, don’t expect to be able to get a view of the city’s bright lights from these bridges. All you’ll get is a face full of metal barrier instead.
Welcome to the Palazzo Penitentiary 👮♂️ pic.twitter.com/xODj0z6iqm
— Vince De La Cruz (@lilchorizo88) November 13, 2024
Here's the bridge from the Wynn to the Palazzo pic.twitter.com/gzUPSYbMtp
— Vince De La Cruz (@lilchorizo88) November 13, 2024
— Vince De La Cruz (@lilchorizo88) November 13, 2024
