Despite the cancellation of the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display on the Las Vegas Strip, a portion of the boulevard, as well as the entrance and exit ramps on Interstate 15, will remain closed at traffic to ring in 2021.
Las Vegas Boulevard will close vehicular traffic between Reno Avenue (just south of Tropicana Avenue) and Spring Mountain Road on New Year’s Eve, according to Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Misael Parra. The closure will cover a shorter distance than Sahara Avenue to the Russell Road closure seen in past years.
The closure of the strip is scheduled to begin temporarily between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m., depending on the size of the people at the time, Parra said.
“It could happen a little earlier if there were a lot of people in the Strip at that time or later if there aren’t any,” Parra said. “Anyway, we want to have a hard closing at eight in the evening”
When the reopening of Las Vegas Boulevard will also be in the air this year, there will be no fireworks displays to signal the start of a new year.
“It’s complicated, because once the fireworks are over, people start marching and we can start working on opening the strip,” Parra said. “This year there will be no fireworks, so we will have to work with the properties of the Strip to send messages after midnight and we hope that people start leaving. It really depends on the crowd. ”
In addition, I-15 bid ramps heading south and north on Tropicana / Frank Sinatra Drive and Flamingo Road will close to traffic at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, the Nevada Department of Transportation announced Tuesday. Motorists will still be able to get in and out of I-15 at Spring Mountain and Russell. Ramp restrictions will be removed between 3 a.m. and 6 p.m., Jan. 1.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to affect the scale and scope of New Year’s celebrations, several additional visitors are still expected in southern Nevada, with many welcoming them. in 2021 on the Las Vegas Strip, ”NDOT spokesman Tony Illia said. “As such, we are conducting several temporary road and road ramp closures, thus ensuring a safe and successful event for both motorists and partygoers.”
Vehicle access will also be restricted to the following locations:
– Tropicana eastbound on Industrial Road / Dean Martin Drive.
– Flamingo Road east on Valley View Boulevard.
Although the strip closure will stop at Spring Mountain in the north, the east-west highway will remain open to vehicular traffic.
The city center will also see a couple of roads closed to vehicular traffic.
Fourth Street will close traffic on Ogden and Carson Avenues between noon on Dec. 31 and 4 a.m. on Jan. 1, according to Las Vegas City officials.
Casino Center Boulevard will also close traffic on Ogden and Carson Avenues between 2:00 pm and December 31 and 4:00 am on January 1.
Contact Mick Akers at [email protected] or 702-387-2920. Carry on @mickakers on Twitter.