Wednesday, Sept. 2, 1998 | 10:47 a.m.
It's no secret the glitzy hotel-casinos that line the Strip with gushing fountains and bright lights are constantly trying to outdo one another.
One erects a massive lion's head, another comes back with a glimmering black pyramid. Then comes an erupting volcano, a pirate battle, the Statue of Liberty and now the Eiffel Tower.
But who would have guessed the businesses would engage in a war over the cost and location of pedestrian bridges across Las Vegas Boulevard?
The County Commission in April directed public works officials to design two pedestrian bridges at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. Mirage Resorts Inc., in the interests of its soon-to-open Bellagio hotel-casino, has already built two others at the intersection.
The issue arose again Tuesday when commissioners discussed who was going to split the $12 million cost with the county to build the two pedestrian crossings.
"We are going to build them, we just don't know who will pay for them or what percent," Commissioner Lorraine Hunt said.
The county's bridge project and funding plan was muddled when Flamingo-Hilton officials offered to build a fifth bridge at the intersection that would lead pedestrians directly to their business.
While Barbary Coast has offered to pay 25 percent of the original bridge project -- which is more than is required of them -- the Hilton said it would pay the entire cost of its bridge and hand it over to the county.
If the county rejects the proposal, Flamingo-Hilton officials said they will withdraw from the county project and go directly to the state for permission to build the bridge.
The county, Caesars and the Flamingo-Hilton agreed to look north of the intersection, where a street crosswalk exists, as a possible site for a fifth pedestrian bridge.
Hilton's proposal enraged Barbary Coast representatives, who presented a series of facetious drawings that showed eight bridges zig-zagging across the Strip leading from one hotel-casino to the next.
"Our friends at the Hilton consistently try to gain a competitive advantage by diverting pedestrians to their hotel," said Michael Leavitt, who represented Barbary Coast. "They are not a corner property but have corner aspirations."
Leavitt said the casino will not pay 25 percent of the cost if a fifth bridge is built.
The county's only recourse in stopping a fifth bridge at the Flamingo-Las Vegas Boulevard location may be to deny a variance.
The County Commission also delayed a decision Tuesday on whether to create a special improvement district to help fund the pedestrian bridges. Bally's, Barbary Coast and Caesars Palace disagreed with a county study that says they will each benefit greatly from the bridges.
Attorney Mark Fiorentino, who represents Caesars, said there is no proof the bridges will create more foot traffic. He also pointed out that simply because a bridge dumps pedestrians off in front of a hotel-casino doesn't mean they will visit that business.
"There is no special benefit to Caesars for the project," Fiorentino said. "Even if there is some marginal increase in vehicular flows, they are shared by everyone -- people all the way up Flamingo and all the way down Las Vegas Boulevard."
The commission will discuss the bridges again during its Oct. 6 meeting.
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