LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Super Bowl LVIII begins to transform the Las Vegas Strip starting this week, with road closures extending through the big game not far behind.
The NFL and CBS previewed this transformation to Clark County commissioners in December, with renderings showing a federally required 300-foot safety perimeter around Allegiant Stadium that will house hospitality events, the game-day tailgate and broadcast operations. Katie Keenan, senior director of event operations, indicated that move-in will last roughly a month.
“We start on the stadium campus on January 8, and will continue sort of a progressive build as we get closer and closer to game day in preparation for that stadium campus lockdown that we do on February 3,” Keenan said to commissioners on December 19.
But, before tackling center stage, CBS is creating stages all of its own.
Patty Power, CBS Executive Vice President of Operations and Engineering, stated that construction of four stages over the Fountains of Bellagio – which will host several news and entertainment shows in the week prior to the Sunday game – begins on Wednesday, January 3. After two days of load-in, the platforms and production equipment will be installed through at least Friday, February 2.
“We will have over 100 hours of programming beginning on Monday and culminating with the NFL Today on Super Bowl Sunday,” Power said to commissioners during the December 19 meeting.
The load-in will provoke the closures of the two southbound lanes along Las Vegas Boulevard closest to the fountain through at least January 4. CBS did not immediately return 8 News Now’s questions about how long those travel lanes will be closed.
The “sidewalk plan” introduced during the same meeting indicates at least one of those lanes will eventually become a pedestrian walkway to compensate for sidewalk space occupied by broadcast equipment.
Proposed lane restrictions around the fountains and stadium are as follows:
- January 3 – 4: two southbound lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard and one eastbound lane of Flamingo
- January 8 – February 15: Allegiant Stadium Way & Al Davis Way (full road closure)
- January 16 – February 2: Dewey Drive (partial road closure)
- January 16 – February 9: Polaris Avenue (partial road closure)
- January 18 – February 7: Dean Martin Drive (partial road closure)
- January 27 – February 15: Hacienda Avenue (full road closure with maintained access between Polaris and Valley View for local businesses)
- February 3 – February 15: Dewey Drive (full road closure)
- February 8 – February 15: Dean Martin Drive (full road closure)
- February 10 – February 12: Luxor Drive (full road closure)
- February 10 – February 15: Polaris Avenue (full road closure)
- February 11: Ali Baba Lane (one-way eastbound traffic) & Dean Martin Drive (one-way northbound traffic)
The intention is to completely remove the temporary structures by Friday, February 16, according to Power.