Bus detours expected on busy New Year’s

Wednesday, Oct. 13, 1999 | 9:37 a.m.

The bus system will operate New Year's Eve -- but riders should be prepared for detours on that busy night, Regional Transportation Commission staff members said.

As in past years, the RTC's Citizen Area Transit will continue to operate through the holiday, but schedule changes are likely because of large crowds that traditionally gather along the Strip. The primary concern is east-west travel across Las Vegas Boulevard and the Strip, which cuts the CAT system in half.

Stanton Wilkerson, RTC marketing manager, said the bus system will stop operating along Las Vegas Boulevard at some point on Dec. 31. Beyond that, schedule changes are up in the air.

"Most of that is not firmed up yet because we have not received word yet from Metro," Wilkerson said.

Metro Police Capt. Douglas Gillespie said his department will only close the boulevard "incrementally, as crowd size dictates."

But he emphasized that the police have not received any permit for an event along the boulevard, so there is no permitted road closure.

"If I had my way, Las Vegas Boulevard would be open all night long," Gillespie said.

That hasn't happened in previous years. Last year, 300,000 revelers closed a half-mile section of the Strip. Estimates of the crowd this year, fueled by millennium fever, range from 500,000 to over 1 million.

Gillespie said Metro has plans to redirect traffic if necessary and will work with the CAT system to ensure that buses have alternate routes.

Bruce Turner, an RTC mass transit planner, said the bus system will likely include a loop around the boulevard and the Strip.

Wilkerson said some east-west arterials will likely stay open, including the busy Desert Inn Road.

"That looks like our main east/west corridor," he said. "There may be other crossing possibilities.

"We're doing everything in our power to ensure that we keep mobility options open for folks," Wilkerson said. "Workers have to get to work, visitors are going to want to get around."

He said every bus that can be put into service will be out on New Year's Eve.

Many people will find the bus system a very good way to move about the city on the holiday, he predicted, despite re-routings. As it has in the past, the RTC will probably offer free bus service on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

That will be good for those that imbibe too much holiday cheer.