With the squeeze of Project Neon being felt at downtown businesses over the last couple of years, one prominent hotel owner sees the long-awaited end of road construction project on the horizon.
Derek Stevens of The D said his establishment is surviving the multiple overnight closures that limit access to downtown from the almost $1 billion freeway project, which is widening a 4-mile stretch of Interstate 15 from the U.S. 95 interchange to Sahara Avenue.
“Although it’s been bad, it’s not as big of an impact that was first projected. We thought the business disruption would be worse,” Stevens said.
Stevens said the Nevada Department of Transportation has done a great job with the project, and he is excited to see what the finished product brings to downtown. He also owns the Downtown Events Center.
Project Neon is 85 percent complete, with the last of the three major phases, the Main Event, finishing next month. Despite the major phases winding down, there is still plenty of work to be finished ahead of the summer 2019 completion date.
With 500 people working two shifts daily utilizing 160 pieces of machinery, six days a week, the project remains on schedule.
Of the features set to come online in the coming weeks, the removal of the I-15 southbound and northbound lane restrictions Oct. 31 will immediately benefit motorists, as well as the new I-15 northbound off-ramp openings at Charleston Boulevard (Oct. 31) and Sahara Avenue/Highland Drive (Nov. 1), NDOT spokesperson Tony Illia said.
Some of the most impactful work components still left include Charleston Boulevard improvements, including a roadway widening and new freeway ramps, and construction of a new bridge over the railroad tracks for the new Industrial Road connection to Grand Central Parkway, Illia said.
“What an impact this is going to have on all of Las Vegas, and downtown is right at the crossroads at the 15 and 95,” Stevens said. “When Project Neon is completed I think that has a very positive impact on downtown specifically.”
As Project Neon winds down, several projects around Las Vegas are ramping up, including around Fremont Street downtown.
Stevens’ 18 Fremont (unofficial name) began initial site work on the project that includes a proposed 459-foot, 777-room hotel tower, a 117,740-square-foot casino among other features.
“We’ve got design done and we’re working on construction drawings,” he said. “We’ve got the theme and we’ve got the name, and we’re going to have a really good and fun announcement on that not too far down the road.”
Boyd Gaming filed plans to the city for a 320-foot-tall, 509-room hotel tower earlier this month and the Fremont Street Experience is set to undergo a $32 million renovation of its Viva Vision video canopy that will finish at the end of 2019. Those projects combined with the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion, Resorts World completion and the Las Vegas Stadium, among others, have a buzz going not felt for many years in the valley, Stevens said.
“It hasn’t been like this in quite a while, so it’s pretty good to have the next generation of everyone, residents, businesspeople and tourists to be able to see all this growth,” he said. “I’m so excited to see all of Vegas grow as a whole right now.”