Back home, a new road opening means a ribbon cutting and worse traffic anyway. Las Vegas does it differently. The newest way across town is about to open underground, racing a Formula 1 deadline to do it.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority expects The Boring Company's new Paradise stop, across from UNLV, to be open by the start of Las Vegas Grand Prix week, FOX5 reported Tuesday night. The Grand Prix runs November 19 to 21, so the clock is loud on this one.
Very Close, but the Permit Is the Real Finish Line
LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill told FOX5 the project is "very close" to finishing. The Paradise tunnels are expected to get a temporary occupancy permit this week, and each stop still has to pass inspections before it opens.
That permit step is the part visitors never hear about, and it is the whole ballgame now. The digging is not the gate anymore. The inspections are.
No exact opening date has been announced, and the LVCVA said it does not have projected ridership numbers for race week yet. Hill said a station can likely handle a few thousand people an hour, and that the Loop does not cost taxpayers.
Two Miles, Two Tunnels, and One Smart Change of Plans
The extension is called the University Center Loop. It runs for two miles underneath Paradise Road, between the Westgate Las Vegas and a site The Boring Company owns at 4744 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169, near UNLV.
The company had planned to open one tunnel first and the second a few weeks later. Instead, both tunnels will come online at the same time before Grand Prix weekend, according to Hill.
Here is why that change matters more than it sounds. One tunnel would have meant half capacity in one direction during the busiest week of the year. Two tunnels mean full two-way service from day one.
- New stations: Thomas & Mack and the former Gordon Biersch site will connect to the existing Loop, Hill said.
- Still building: a stop at the Howard Hughes Center and Virgin Hotels is under construction, with no opening timeline yet.
- Who pays: the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents approved the UNLV station in June, and The Boring Company is paying for it, according to 96.3 KKLZ.
- Already running: the Loop today links the Las Vegas Convention Center with Resorts World, Sahara and Encore, with more than a dozen stations built.
The Thomas & Mack stop is the quiet game changer in the list. The arena sits at 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154, and its crowds have always fought Paradise Road traffic to get anywhere. A Loop station across from campus gives students and event fans a route that skips the surface jam entirely.
How to Use It During Grand Prix Week Without Guessing Wrong
An expected opening is not an opening, so plan like a local who has been burned by a ribbon cutting before. These four steps keep the new stop as a bonus instead of a gamble.
- Wait for the confirmed opening. No date is official yet, so do not build a race day plan around the Paradise stop until the Loop confirms it is running.
- Check the stops and hours before you go. Look at the Loop's current station list on the morning of your trip, not the week before.
- Keep the existing stations as your backup. The Convention Center, Resorts World, Sahara, Encore and Westgate stops are already part of the working system.
- Give Paradise Road and Koval Lane extra time anyway. Grand Prix week brings road closures and heavy traffic on the surface, with or without a new tunnel under it.
If the inspections land on schedule, race week gets a working underground route from the convention center side of town straight to the UNLV doorstep. That is not a gadget. That is a real second option, and folks here could use one.
