Getting in and out of LV speedway made much easier

Friday, March 3, 2000 | 10:38 a.m.

The NASCAR drivers inside Las Vegas Motor Speedway may zoom around the 1.5-mile track at 170 mph -- but in past years, the drivers outside the speedway gates have been mired in traffic moving at a snail's pace.

That should change for this weekend's NASCAR races thanks to combined efforts of the speedway and the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The speedway and government agencies have teamed up to improve traffic in and out of the parking areas for the race, which last year bottled up traffic for hours.

"I think everybody is going to see a 100 percent turnaround on everything," said Devin Horihan, speedway development director.

Last year tens of thousands of race fans waited in their cars for hours before and during the race.

This year a $3.5 million widening of Las Vegas Boulevard between Craig Road and the speedway gates should make getting out of the speedway a lot easier, state and speedway officials said.

The two-lane road has been widened to five. For the race, the 10-foot shoulders will also be used as lanes, giving race fans five lanes to the track, and traffic going the other direction will have two lanes in the morning.

For evenings, that pattern will be reversed.

"It should facilitate the traffic where we had the great bottleneck last year," NDOT spokesman Bob McKenzie said.

Construction on Las Vegas Boulevard started Nov. 1. Preparation for the race crowds finished up this week, Horihan said. The speedway paid for $300,000 of the work, he said.

Work crews also reconstructed the speedway exit from Interstate 15, Horihan said. To get to last year's race, motorists had to navigate a tight "S" at the exit, which slowed traffic.

This weekend drivers off the interstate should get a relatively straight shot to the speedway, he said.

Other changes include increasing the number of entrance and exit gates from two to five and hiring a professional parking company to guide cars in and out of the racetrack parking areas, Horihan said.

Speedway officials are urging private passenger vehicles to use the I-15 exit onto Speedway Boulevard, and commercial vehicles to use Las Vegas Boulevard.

But the best way to get to the race may be by taking special Citizens Area Transit buses from the Strip to the track.

Race fans can take the regular buses along the Strip, then transfer to a specially marked "NASCAR" bus. Regular Strip fare is $2 and transfer to the race bus is an additional $1.

Riders also will be able to catch the speedway bus at all northbound bus stops serving major hotels along Las Vegas Boulevard for $3. Bus system information is available at 228-7433.

The buses will be available through Sunday, when the CarsDirect.com 400 gets the green flag at 11:30 a.m.

About 250,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event, 140,000 of them on Sunday. That attendance would make the race the largest one-day spectator event in Nevada history.

Metro Police Lt. John Thornton urged folks who do decide to drive to use common sense.

He said two police officers were hit by over-eager race fans frustrated with the slow pace of traffic.

"Last year was pretty bad," Thornton said. "We're hoping that it really goes a lot smoother than it has in the past.

"The key is still that people should get there early, take their time," he said. "Have a little patience and courtesy for others."

Launce Rake covers growth issues for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4127 or by e-mail at lrake@lasvegassun.com