Biden’s Vegas campaign swing to end with road, air travel impacts

As President Joe Biden’s multi-day Las Vegas campaign swing winds down Wednesday, traffic on the roads and near the airport will be heavily affected.

Rolling road closures have been occurring each day Biden has been in Southern Nevada after arriving in town Monday evening, while his motorcade travels between events. The Metropolitan Police Department said Monday that it added extra resources to security details for each event Biden planned to visit, and that road closures tied to the president’s travels should be expected.

Carrying out a presidential motorcade and security detail is a vast task, one that the state is responsible for paying for when its resources are used during the process.

Biden is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the UnidosUS annual convention sometime between 12:30 p.m and 2:30 p.m. at the MGM Grand Conference Center.

Potential road impacts surrounding this event include Las Vegas Boulevard, Tropicana Avenue and Koval Lane. Depending on where the motorcade is traveling from, Interstate 15 and the 215 Beltway could also be impacted.

Following the speech, Biden is expected to attend an unnamed community event. He is scheduled to depart from Harry Reid International Airport on Wednesday evening.

Anyone with flights at the airport Wednesday evening should give themselves more time than usual to get to the airport, due to the potential for road closures and heavy traffic congestion.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a temporary flight restriction notice Wednesday that runs between 9 a.m. and 6:15 p.m., for VIP movement.

Potential road closures tied to Biden traveling to the airport include I-15, the Beltway, Las Vegas Boulevard, Paradise Road, Tropicana and the Airport Connector tunnel.

Airport officials didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment on suggested travel tips. On Monday the airport took to its X account a couple of hours ahead the president’s arrival, alerting travelers to allow additional time to get to the facility.

On a normal day, airport officials suggest travelers arrive two hours prior to their scheduled flights, but with the potential for delays late in the day tied to Biden’s travel, anyone with a late afternoon or early evening flight should plan to arrive sooner than the two-hour window.

As Air Force One departs Las Vegas, ground stops will occur at Reid, Henderson International and North Las Vegas airports.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.