‘A nightmare driving to work:’ How will 100,000 hospitality employees get to work during F1?
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As Formula One repaving concludes and temporary structure installation speeds up on the Las Vegas Strip, hospitality workers are worried that their already-extended commute could become even longer during the multi-day racing event.
More than 100,000 hospitality workers along Las Vegas Boulevard have already endured months of traffic headaches around the 3.8 miles of public roadway construction. Some report their typical commutes have turned irregular.
“It is a nightmare driving to work,” Treasure Island Hotel & Casino baker Carlos Padilla said. “We also have to get to work early to find parking in the employee parking garage just because it’s packed.”
“I am not able to take my stepdaughter to middle school in the morning because I will not make it to work on time,” Horseshoe hotel room attendant Maria Cervantes said.
“We just want to know the plans to deal with the traffic,” Mandalay Bay Hotel cook Alberto Rodriguez said.
Las Vegas F1 bridges, lights, barriers going up in phases starting Sept. 5
With roughly 23,000 hotel rooms inside the circuit – which runs directly through the Las Vegas Strip and isolates some businesses east of the boulevard – they’re worried much of the traffic impacts seen now months before the November race will heighten come racing week.
Ted Pappageorge is secretary-treasurer for Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which represents a majority of hospitality workers on the Strip whose commutes are expected to multiply when the track is closed to the public. The surrounding streets and a couple vehicle bridges will become the only mode of transportation via car.
“Folks may say, ‘You know what, I’ll use my points. I’m not coming in today.’ And we don’t want that,” Pappageorge said during a virtual interview Tuesday afternoon. “We want this to be an incredible success.”
While Las Vegas Grand Prix (LVGP) officials did not elaborate on these transportation plans during Tuesday’s Clark County Commission meeting, they mentioned in an early September update that they were considering existing transit as methods to transport workers after they park off site.
The monorail, which is also marketed to tourists, has been mentioned, along with a shuttle system that would travel on temporary bridges being built over the track. The established RTC bus routes in the area will also change temporarily due to circuit closures.
In the end, Pappageorge says longer commutes are inevitable.
“Our members are going to have to come to work early. They’re going to have to stay late. There’s going to have to be some compensation for that,” Pappageorge said.
He says that compensation would come from the employers, which the union is in contract negotiations with already.
LVGP officials at the Tuesday meeting say the official traffic control plan, which includes employee transportation, is still being developed. At least one lane will eventually be lost on the Strip where track barriers are anticipated to be installed, but officials add Metro police will direct traffic during those closures.
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