F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Lane closures coming for paving

The first Sphere portions of the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit were paved over the weekend, with a bevy of road impacts planned over the next few months on the rest of the 3.8-mile track.

Crews will continue initial track paving operations through Sept. 1 on the public portions of the F1 track, while final paving work will begin July 31 on Sands Avenue between Las Vegas Boulevard and the Sphere.

“We recognize this is a challenging time right now with road construction in the resort corridor, and we know this is a frustration being shared by many who need to frequent this area on a daily basis,” Clark County spokeswoman Jennifer Cooper said in a statement. “As these projects move forward over the coming weeks and months, reprieve will come as the work concludes.”

Cooper recommends that residents stay up to date on resort corridor road construction on the county’s website dedicated to roadwork in the vicinity of the Strip. The website includes detailed maps and the schedule of projects to help motorists plan their commute and navigate road closures.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix track includes portions of Las Vegas Boulevard, Koval Lane and Harmon and Sands avenues. The inaugural grand prix weekend is scheduled for Nov. 16-18, with the race beginning at 10 p.m. on Nov. 18.

Initial paving operations are expected to be completed over the next several weeks. Through Friday, work will take place on Koval northbound and at the intersection of Spring Mountain and Las Vegas Boulevard. Operations then shift to Koval southbound between Aug. 28 and Sept. 1.

Lane and road closures include:

Rolling lane closures on the east side of Koval northbound between Flamingo Road and Westchester Drive. This work began on Sunday night and is expected to go through 3 p.m. Friday.

Closures at the intersection of Spring Mountain eastbound and westbound at Las Vegas Boulevard from 9 p.m. on Monday until 9 a.m. on Friday. There will be no through traffic allowed on Sands westbound or on Spring Mountain eastbound. Motorists traveling on Las Vegas Boulevard will be able to drive north and south through the intersection.

Rolling lane closures southbound on the west side of Koval between Westchester Drive and Flamingo running between Aug. 28 and 9 a.m. on Sept. 1.

The final track paving operations beginning next week are to include seven sections, with five being in the public right of way and two (F1 paddock site and the Sphere) being on private property.

Those sections:

July 31-Aug. 4, on Sands between the Sphere and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Aug. 7-11, on Las Vegas Boulevard between Treasure Island and Bellagio.

Aug. 14-18, on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Aug. 21-25, on Harmon between Planet Hollywood Resort and Koval.

Sept. 18-22, around the Sphere site.

Sept. 24-29, around the paddock site.

Oct. 2-6, on Koval between the paddock site and the Sphere.

Talks continue on how much the county is responsible to pay in connection with the roadwork, which is expected to cost $80 million. At a Clark County Commission meeting in June, race officials requested that $40 million in public money go toward that work.

“The county’s negotiations with F1 remain ongoing, but a public discussion will occur before the board when a dollar amount is determined for the board’s consideration,” Cooper said.

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