New Years Eve is just a few days away. We expect around 300,000 people to be in town to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year, most of those on the Las Vegas Strip. Be ready, because New Years Eve on the Las Vegas Strip has only three transportation options:
- Be Early
- The Monorail
- RTC Bus Service
Be Early:
The entire 4 mile length of the Las Vegas Strip will begin closing to vehicle traffic at 4pm New Years Eve and is scheduled to be fully closed by 6pm but pretty much all parking is expected to be completely full before 5pm. It will remain closed until approximately 3am. So if you are driving you need to arrive to the tourist corridor iseally well before 4pm, and expect to stay until 4am or later (because of the massive traffic jam of 300,000 people leaving the Strip.
The Nevada Department of Transportation will close the following freeway ramps and streets beginning 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, until the Strip reopens to vehicular traffic:
· I-15 north ramp to Tropicana Ave., south of Russell Road
· I-15 north collector-distributor road to Tropicana Ave. and Frank Sinatra Drive
· I-15 south ramp to westbound and eastbound Tropicana Ave.
· I-15 north ramp to eastbound and westbound Flamingo Road
· I-15 south ramp to eastbound and westbound Flamingo Road
· Tropicana Ave. east at Dean Martin Drive
· Flamingo Road east at Valley View Blvd.
· Hotel Rio Drive west at Dean Martin Drive.
Also, expect the I-15 to be mostly a massive parking lot during the following time as something like 150,000 visitors drive in from Southern California:
· 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 26
· 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Dec. 27
· 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 2
· 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Jan. 3.
The Monorail:
Probably your best transportation option on the Las Vegas Strip on New Years Eve will be the Las Vegas Monorail. It will remain in operation for 44 straight hours over the New Year’s holiday weekend, from 7 a.m. on Friday Dec. 31 through 3 a.m. on Sunday Jan. 2. Single rides will cost $5. One huge benefit for locals are tickets go for only $1 if you have an ID with a Nevada address.
Monorail tickets can be bought at station kiosks, or by going to https://www.lvmonhttps://www.lvmonorail.com/ticket-information/
Wearing masks are required while in the Monorail Stations and while on the Monorails themselves. No backpacks or containers are allowed.
RTC Bus Service
The RTC again will offer free rides on all transit routes from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Transit riders can board any vehicle on the RTC’s 39 bus routes without purchasing a pass or presenting fare.
Be forewarned though, the Las Vegas Strip is still going to be closed to all traffic, and bus routes will be rerouted around 4-mile long stretch. Drop off points will be quite aways from the Strip.
You can get more details at the RTC website at https://www.rtcsnv.com/
Other Notes:
Note that no backpacks or containers will be allowed. This includes larger purses, baby strollers or anything of the kind. Go light or don’t come.
The Vagabond Horizon 