A new pedestrian bridge, expected to cost about $40 million to construct, is set to come to the Las Vegas Strip. The City Council approved earlier this month a contract to continue design services for the project, which would be located at Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.
According to data presented for the project, the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard is one of the busiest in the valley. The new bridge, which renderings have shown will have a futuristic circular design, would bring much-needed safety to pedestrians.
The intersection routinely sees between 70,000 to 85,000 vehicles per day, along with thousands of pedestrians, according to city data retrieved by Fox 5. Between 2009 and 2018, 595 crashes took place, resulting in 326 injuries and two fatalities.
#lvcouncil approved a contract to fund the preliminary design of a pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Sahara Avenue & Las Vegas Boulevard. The project is in coordination with @ClarkCountyNV & @RTCSNV.
A final design is scheduled to be completed in the next year. pic.twitter.com/pvOypOd9if
— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) November 17, 2021
According to the city, the proposed design for the project calls for “an iconic circular bridge” which would give pedestrians easier access to all four corners of the intersection. Design is anticipated to be completed “by the end of 2022,” while the bridge itself could be completed “by the end of 2024.” Contractor bidding on the project is planned to occur at the beginning of 2023.
While the cost of the project will most likely vary, depending on supply at the time of the development, an estimated price has been given. “If the project were to start today, the approximate cost would be $40 million, but leaders are hopeful supply costs will come down in the next couple of years,” the city says.
In 2019, the city estimated the project, which is being developed in collaboration with Clark County and the Regional Transportation Commission, would cost $27.5 million, reports Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The north end of The Strip is home to The STRAT Hotel and Casino, the Vegas Gateway Arch, and the Sahara Hotel. Moreover, the southwest corner lot of the intersection is home to music festivals, including Day In Vegas, which attracted 150,000 guests over a three-day period.
“There’s no doubt more and more people are making their way north on The Strip,” the city said in a blog post. “While the continued growth of this area is exciting, more needs to be done to make sure it’s safe for motorists and pedestrians.”