Developer plans pedestrian bridge over Harmon Avenue

By Kyle B. Hansen

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 | 5:05 p.m.

The developer of a retail center across from CityCenter on the east side of the Las Vegas Strip is planning to construct a pedestrian bridge over Harmon Avenue.

The proposed three-story retail center south of Planet Hollywood would be connected to an existing bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard that leads to CityCenter and the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The new bridge would connect to the second floor of the new building and span Harmon Avenue.

The plans were presented Tuesday to Clark County commissioners.

It would be the third pedestrian bridge at the intersection of Harmon and Las Vegas Boulevard. Another existing bridge runs north-south over Harmon on the west side of the Strip as part of the massive CityCenter project.

The new bridge would allow pedestrians to cross Harmon on the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard without worrying about vehicle traffic at one of the main access points to the Strip from McCarran International Airport.

The bridge would be built at no cost to the county as part of the development of 2.15 acres that once was owned by the county, but is now slated for a Walgreens and other businesses.

The county bought 2.96 acres on the northeast corner of the intersection in 2000 for $36 million from Reynolds Enterprises LP. The county used some of the land to move Harmon Avenue, aligning it with the road through CityCenter and over Interstate 15.

After the road project was complete, the county sold the 2.15 remaining acres at auction for $25 million to developer Brett Torino of BPS Partners LLC.

Dennis Cederburg, the director of the county’s public works department, asked commissioners Tuesday for permission to negotiate an agreement with BPS to cover construction and future management of the bridge.

The bridge would include stairs, elevators and escalators on both sides of Harmon, but access to the escalators on the north side of the road would only be available in the retail building, Cederburg said.

Pedestrians would also be able to get directly from the east-west bridge across Las Vegas Boulevard to the new bridge through the second story of the new building, Cederburg said.

Pedestrians who don’t want to go into the building would still be able to cross from one bridge to another, but would have to use the stairs or elevator to get to the sidewalk, Cederburg said.

“This is a great improvement and will serve the area well,” said Commissioner Rory Reid, who represents the area and was the only commissioner to comment on Cederburg’s presentation.