Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Dec. 14 with news that LVCVA will acquire Las Vegas Monorail Company.

A planned Vegas Loop originally designed as a one-mile underground transportation solution to take people from one side of Las Vegas Convention Center to the other side of the expanded facility could expand to the entire city after Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced that it was acquiring assets of the Las Vegas Monorail Company.

The 3.9-mile elevated monorail moved nearly 5 million people a year and had fallen into bankruptcy. The sale will ensure that the monorail will continue to operate with key staff in place and make way for elimination of the non-compete that could have limited expansion of the Loop.

Wynn Las Vegas and Resorts World Las Vegas—a new megaresort scheduled to open next year—both announced plans in October to connect to Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) via Elon Musk’s underground tunnel system. The proposals will add new connector tunnels to The Boring Company’s Loop system, allowing guests to travel between the respective resorts and convention center campus in under two minutes—in all-electric Tesla vehicles, of course.

MoreWork Set to Begin on Las Vegas’ Futuristic Transportation Loop

The current underground transit project will whisk attendees between exhibition halls as part of LVCC’s expansion and is expected to be completed by January 2021

See alsoAn Advanced Look at the LVCC Expansion

For the $4.3-billion-dollar, 3,500-room Resorts World Las Vegas, the proposal is an important part of its identity as a tech-forward casino-hotel.

“This innovative transportation system is a perfect match for Resorts World Las Vegas as we design our resort to be at the forefront of progressive technology,” said President Scott Sibella. “Guests would no longer have to worry about long walks or gridlock traffic around the convention center—they could take the transportation system to Resorts World Las Vegas for lunch, meetings or personal appointments, and be back to their conference or expo in minutes.”

For Wynn Las Vegas, which debuted its sustainable, 430,000-square-foot meeting and convention expansion in February, the transportation system is an important step in its quest for eco-friendly gatherings and gaming. The property holds the highest certification from the Green Building Initiative and features a Zero Carbon, Zero Waste event service.

Construction on each project is expected to begin this year.

A new proposal submitted Oct. 13 calls for stretching the underground expressway as far north as downtown Las Vegas, throughout The Strip corridor and as far south as Allegiant Stadium.

“The Vegas Loop will be a game changer for our visitors seeking to quickly access world-class attractions and resorts throughout the destination in a fun and convenient way, said Steve Hill, LVCVA president and CEO.

advertisement