Wed, Apr 4, 2007 (7:18 a.m.)

Although their task may not be as challenging as navigating downtown Las Vegas streets at 180 mph, hotel guests and race fans are in for some fast twists and turns of their own during this weekend's Vegas Grand Prix.

With days of street closures creating difficulties getting in and out of the downtown area enclosed by the 2.44-mile course, the race and related festivities will pose at least minor inconveniences for hotels and anyone who ventures into the area.

Still, hotel representatives hope the benefits of Sunday's race - including a national broadcast on NBC and an anticipated weekend crowd of 150,000 fans - outweigh any headaches that guests might experience.

"We're really excited about it, and there's a lot of buzz about it," Boyd Gaming Corp. spokesman Rob Stillwell said. "At the end of the day it will be good for downtown."

Boyd owns the Fremont hotel , which will be completely enclosed by the road course. So the company plans to check in Fremont guests at its Main Street Station and California hotels, which are downtown but outside the course. Fremont guests also will be directed to park at Main Street Station.

Hotel guests will have access to downtown roads during evening and early morning hours, as well as temporary pedestrian bridges across various parts of the course. But some who arrive morning and afternoon hours Friday through Sunday might be separated from their luggage for a few hours because of the difficulties of getting their bags past the concrete barriers and metal fences lining the streets on both sides of the Fremont Street Experience.

Elevated crosswalks will be positioned over Carson and Ogden avenues at Third Street, over Fourth Street at Fremont Street, and over Grand Central Parkway at Discovery Drive.

Some hotels will have bell captains posted near the bridges to help guests who arrive by taxi with luggage. However, some of this weekend's guests will be dropped off blocks away because of the street closures. Hotel workers will cart luggage to their properties when the road course is clear.

"We own a garage outside the track at 216 First St., so we're one of the lucky ones," said Teresa Malm, vice president of marketing for Fitzgeralds .

The five-story garage will provide guests with an excellent vantage point during race weekend.

"We're going to have a hospitality tent on top of the garage for our guests, and it's probably one of the best viewing areas for the race because we will be right at turn nine," Malm said.

Like Fitzgeralds, the Golden Nugget started sending letters weeks ago to guests to warn them about this weekend's road closures and to advise them to plan their arrivals and departures accordingly.

"The biggest hurdle about this weekend is the unknown, not knowing what to expect," said Amy Chasey, the Golden Nugget's vice president of marketing and advertising.

TIPS FOR THE WEEKEND: The road course will be closed to vehicles from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, when the low-to-the-ground open-wheel cars will buzz around the makeshift track in practice runs, qualifying rounds and the race .

Streets involved include parts of Grand Central Parkway, Bonneville Avenue/Alta Drive, First, Third and Fourth streets, Casino Center Boulevard, and Bridger, Carson and Ogden avenues.

From 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Saturday and again from 6 p.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday, vehicle access to downtown properties inside the course will be available through gates at Main Street and Bonneville Avenue, Bridger Avenue and Casino Center Boulevard, Carson Avenue and Casino Center, Ogden Avenue and First Street, and Ogden and Casino Center.

Some road closures have started and will be in effect through Sunday. These include First Street from south of Bridger Avenue to Ogden Avenue, Third Street from south of Carson Avenue to Ogden, and Bridger between Main Street and east of Third Street.

Beginning today and running through Sunday, several other downtown streets will be closed to traffic. That list includes Bonneville Avenue/Alta Drive between Main Street and Martin L. King Boulevard, Fourth Street from south of Carson to Ogden, Grand Central Parkway from Bonneville to Main, Main from Bonneville to Ogden, Casino Center Boulevard from south of Bridger to Ogden, and both Carson and Ogden from Main to Fourth Street.

The road closures also mean temporary shutdowns of some Citizen Area Transit bus stops along routes 105, 106, 108 and 207, as well as the Deuce stop serving the Fremont Street Experience northbound at Fourth and Carson.

Greyhound Lines Inc. also announced it will operate from a temporary location in the Downtown Transportation Center at 300 N. Casino Center Blvd. from 5 a.m. Thursday through 10 p.m. Sunday.

Several government structures will have restricted access for the rest of the week because of the road closures:

On Friday access to the Government Center parking lot will be available to county employees with ID badges and the public for county-related business. Access to the parking lot on Saturday will be granted to accommodate the Bunny Boogie Easter egg hunt from noon to 4 p.m. in the county amphitheater. On Sunday access to the lot will be granted only to county employees with ID badges.

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