O.J. trial, transportation project snarl downtown Las Vegas traffic

By Mary Manning

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 | 8:09 a.m.

Lane restrictions south of downtown Las Vegas, plus heavier traffic as the O.J. Simpson trial gets underway at the Regional Justice Center could mean headaches Monday for many motorists who need to be in downtown Las Vegas.

In July, the first phase of the ACE rapid transit system project broke ground on Casino Center Boulevard between Bridger and Bonneville avenues, south of the Fremont Street Experience. Casino Center was completely closed to southbound traffic and has one lane northbound open to traffic. There's access to the Clark County parking garage on Casino Center south of Bridger Avenue is accessible from First Street.

In addition to traffic lane restrictions on Casino Center, parking will be permanently eliminated along the Casino Center Boulevard between Bridger and Bonneville.

Why the lane closures on Casino Center? And what about other streets?

The city of Las Vegas is partnering with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to built a rapid transit system.

The city, Clark County and the RTC are trying to build dedicated rapid transit lanes to link downtown Las Vegas to the Las Vegas Convention Center on Paradise Road. Some day passengers riding between McCarran International Airport, the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas may sit back, ride a sleek bus-like vehicle and work on their laptops through a wireless network as the system moves them around traffic jams, accidents and road construction. The system is different from current CAT bus routes, as the vehicles will travel in the dedicated lanes unless there is a traffic problem ahead. Then they can detour around the trouble.

Dedicated rapid transit lanes will be built in the center of Casino Center Boulevard and Third Street, linking downtown Las Vegas to the Convention Center.

The project in the downtown area includes improvements at Ogden Avenue going south along Casino Center to Charleston Boulevard. As the project continues through August 2009, construction will take place on Third Street, south of Charleston and continue to Imperial Avenue, parts of Main Street, Las Vegas Boulevard, St. Louis Avenue and Paradise Road to the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Regional Transportation Commission is trying to provide safe, convenient and effective alternate transit for both residents and visitors, its mission statement says. By reducing automobile traffic, rush hour jams should congestion should improve. As an added bonus, air quality in the Las Vegas Valley should improve once the project reaches the convention center.

The O.J. Simpson trial is expected to last five weeks, so downtown commuters need to give themselves extra time to find a parking spot or even get to the office, said Debby Ackerman of the Las Vegas Public Works Department.