Traffic and Parking at SBS

[VegasPete7]

I go to as many home games as I can get to, but every year's home opener, I am consistently amazed that traffic/parking is so bad at home games. While I later came to understand that there was a fatal accident on Boulder/Russell yesterday afternoon, and Metro needed to have some routes to SBS blocked off in order to finish their investigation, there is no reason I should leave my place in Summerlin at 5:15 for a 7pm game, and I don't even get to my seat until 3 mins into the 1st quarter.

And, I know I wasn't the only one since I sit up top and I can see the parking lots from our seats. There was traffic flowing in well into the first quarter. Then, the parking lots are a walking hazard with all the rocks and poor footholds. How much would it really cost to pave the lots around SBS since even if we do get the new stadium, it will take several seasons to build?

 

[RebelTomola]

that's county property around SBS

 

[Rebel1986]

As far as I know the stadium and parking around it belong to UNLV. Many years ago they charge for parking but because of a court order that was stopped. The money was earmarked to pave the parking lots, but instead it was used for other things and the parking lot was never paved.

 

[Deleted member 308]

I go to as many home games as I can get to, but every year's home opener, I am consistently amazed that traffic/parking is so bad at home games. While I later came to understand that there was a fatal accident on Boulder/Russell yesterday afternoon, and Metro needed to have some routes to SBS blocked off in order to finish their investigation, there is no reason I should leave my place in Summerlin at 5:15 for a 7pm game, and I don't even get to my seat until 3 mins into the 1st quarter.

And, I know I wasn't the only one since I sit up top and I can see the parking lots from our seats. There was traffic flowing in well into the first quarter. Then, the parking lots are a walking hazard with all the rocks and poor footholds. How much would it really cost to pave the lots around SBS since even if we do get the new stadium, it will take several seasons to build?

The number 1 problem is that 99% of Vegas is the west of the stadium. So 99% of the people going to the game are funneling into the same streets.

Take a little extra effort and get to the east of the stadium before driving to it. You'll get in a little faster and relieve some of the congestion.

 

[Rebel1986]

The problem has nothing to do with where people are coming from as much as piss poor planning by Clark County public works and the parking staff as Sam Boyd Stadium. We already know that they shut down Russel due to a car wreck, but that does not explain the cones being left up off of Tropicana Avenue, Flamingo Avenue, Broadbent, and several other roads within the traffic path when they had full knowledge of the football game for over a year.

There is only one road to the southeast of the Sam Boyd Stadium which is approximately 1.5 miles of driving on Weisner Way until reaching Galleria Drive which then goes out to Boulder Highway or continues on for another 1+ miles to the 95. Weisner Way is a single lane road that runs into an extended backup at Galleria Drive waiting for the light to change. I have as of yet to see an traffic cops or anyone else directing traffic to speed things up. This is normally the slowest way to go with no direct route to the 95.

Broadbent is also similar to Weisner in that it goes over to and across Boulder highway and ties into the 95. Broadbent is also a single lane each way which merges with the traffic from Weisner on Galleria Drive. Prior to getting a parking space in the paved area, this is the way that I would go to get out. The traffic lights typically made this a really slow exit.

Russell Rd is the main way the vast majority of cars get to the stadium. My understanding is this road was shut down due to an accident. Considering the importance of opening this road back up for a special event, they should have made sure it was not kept closed no matter how bad of an accident (death included). They have had numerous similar situations on I15, LV Blvd, etc and made it a priority to get the roads back open as quickly as possible. They didn't deem this a priority.

The only other way to get to the site is to take either Flamingo or Tropicana from the west turning on Broadbent and coming into the North side of the stadium. The had cones all along Flamingo from the 95 all the way past Boulder Highway. They also have construction cones up along section of Tropicana Avenue as well as construction cones along Broadbent. Due to no construction being completed currently, these cones could have easily been removed to allow for the traffic, which is poor planning by Clark County Public Works.

It should also be noted that where you turn into the access to the driveway on the north side of the stadium there are 4+ lanes available (2 in each way), but the (trained) traffic staff was only allowing 1 car at a time through to check if they were going towards the tailgate area or on to the public parking area. They had the cars blocked right at the intersection which did not allow any other cars to get by until they talked to each person (this included numerous cars asking questions and doing U turns to go back out). I had approximately 10 cars in front of me and it took over 5 minutes before I was able to go through.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

As far as I know the stadium and parking around it belong to UNLV. Many years ago they charge for parking but because of a court order that was stopped. The money was earmarked to pave the parking lots, but instead it was used for other things and the parking lot was never paved.

That is a common misconception. In the early '70s LVCVA acquired the parcel that the stadium sits on, and then it was sold to Univ of Nevada BOR in the late '80s. If you park on the dirt, until you walk through a gate in the chain-link fence and onto the asphalt you are not on university property.

Most of the university parcel is paved, except for the grassy tailgating area north of the stadium. All of the dirt parking on the south side of Russell is County land, and zoned as a "park", which may be part of the reason it can't be paved over. The green below are other county "parks" which include ballparks, wetland parks, and an RC aircraft airfield.

They did do some sort of really expensive "dust mitigation" treatment of the mud a few years ago, but it seemed like they just sprayed tar on it and it hasn't held up. I think that parking fee was to reduce the dust in nearby neighborhoods.

Note: this is from the County Assessor site, where you can look up parcel records:
http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/assessor/Pages/PropertyRecords.aspx?H=redrock&P=assrrealprop/site.aspx
The image above is at:
http://gisgate.co.clark.nv.us/openweb/?getParcel=16135501002

 

[Rebel1986]

It may be true that it is not owned by the same people Clark County verse Board of Regents, but they took in millions in parking fees per an agreement with Clark County to pave the parking lot back from somewhere around the late 80's all the way to about 7-10 years ago and finally stopped charging due to the fact the money was going elsewhere and not being used for the paving of the parking lot.

As for paving over the parking lot, there is nothing in Clark County that prevents the paving of the parking lot beyond that of finances. The property is zoned as public facility PF which allows for the use of the land as a parking lot for the existing public stadium. Also the fact that the property is already used as a paved parking lot (albeit not asphalt pavement) would provide no difficulties in the approval of a paving plan through Clark County zoning.

 

[Deleted member 308]

The problem has nothing to do with where people are coming from...

Russell Rd is the main way the vast majority of cars get to the stadium.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

Clark County is uninterested in the parking needs of UNLV's stadium.

This image from the 2006 master plan shows the long-term intended use will include youth baseball fields (in the star pattern) and adult baseball fields (to the east of the stadium). A modest amount of paved parking would be added by the ballfields but you would think that if UNLV doesn't get a stadium built elsewhere in the valley, eventually there will be a parking issue that might require a solution like turning the grass tailgating field into parking structure. Imagine the cost of that and the traffic situation then!

 

[Rebel1986]

As long as UNLV is still at that location, I really don't see that happening (did not know about this park master plan since back in the late 80's early 90's there was a plan to pave that area for parking) because it would be a major public relations nightmare especially if Sanchez and UNLV football start to win. Either way, if they get the new stadium then UNLV could trade the land to Clark County Park and Recreation for some land somewhere else.

Also they would have some problems with extending Russel since there currently is not any right-of-way shown on Russell through the stadium property, and UNLV would not allow them to demolish parking to extend the road. An other problem they would have is that people going to the games would just end up using the parking spaces anyways leaving no parking for the parks.

So I guess the best and easiest solution will be for UNLV football to win and the new stadium to get built, then everyone will be happy.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

It was before the start of the 2011 season that Las Vegas Paving spread that "asphalt milling substance" on the dirt to mitigate dust in exchange for $200K worth of UNLV athletic perks.

If Clark County would have been willing to let UNLV asphalt the dirt it would have cost over $7M, so it probably wasn't ever going to happen. But as it is the county does not want asphalt...

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/sep/12/majority-dirt-parking-lot-sam-boyd-stadium/
Addressing the parking lot problem required coordinating with Clark County, which owns the dirt portion of land outside the stadium, said Jeff Chalfant, the stadium manager at Sam Boyd. The current use agreement calls for UNLV to maintain (security, maintenance and upgrades) the land and requires approval for upgrades such as covering or paving the parking lot, Chalfant said.

“Technically, the county told us not to (cover) any more of it,” Chalfant said. He added that legal issues with the flood plan and water diversion also had to be considered, meaning the university covered as much of the dirt as it could.

 

[RedCannon]

I like the dirt.

 

[Rebel1986]

The county can stop them from paving, but in regards to issues regarding flood plan and water diversion issues, this is a cop out and he is wrong. I have gone through all the flood plain management courses and design large private and public flood control projects, and paving this area has very little issues in regards to water diversion, detention. and management.

 

[VegasPete7]

I just think it would be a smart idea to pave it over and would be willing to pay $10-20 parking fee to make that happen. What happens if someone trips on those rocks, falls, and bashes their head open? I'd think someone would be ripe for a lawsuit. Plus, if you pave it, you'd probably get more of a pre-game atmosphere which they do fine in the tailgaiting parts, but as far as the whole place, it's fairly lacking.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

I just think it would be a smart idea to pave it over and would be willing to pay $10-20 parking fee to make that happen. What happens if someone trips on those rocks, falls, and bashes their head open? I'd think someone would be ripe for a lawsuit. Plus, if you pave it, you'd probably get more of a pre-game atmosphere which they do fine in the tailgaiting parts, but as far as the whole place, it's fairly lacking.

If you're willing to pay $15 I think that will get you in to the grassy Star Nursery tailgating area north of the stadium.

As for tailgating on county land (the dirt), the university may turn a blind eye but it is a clear violation of county regulation to consume alcohol or even possess glass bottles on that "park" land - so they aren't going to be doing anything that appears to encourage tailgating. The university is supposed to get you to tailgate in approved tailgating areas.

At $2.50 per square foot cost to asphalt (at 2011 prices) it would take a lot of parking fees to asphalt even a good enough portion of it - if the county would even allow that.

 

[RebtillDeath]

Get over it. How bout leaving earlier. What a concept

 

[RedCannon]

Seriously get over the dirt - it adds flavor to the atmosphere. I loved going in the back way with my truck - Yes, the back way does/did save a lot of time. I would laugh at everyone piled up on the other roads. Sounds like it's still happening. Hey, be a Rebel and take a different way in. I think they actually shut some of that down, because they put assault in for the new houses!!, which sucks. Like I said I like the dirt... It's part of us. And if you trip and crack your head open... on graded ground... dear God.

 

[VegasPete7]

BleedRebelRed, I understand the whole county thing vis a vis with cost. And you're right, I could pay the extra money to park in the Star Nursery area, but I'm just talking about the whole collective sense of the place. It doesn't exactly scream big-time college football to me. Now, of course, if we get the new stadium, this isn't going to be an issue, but you see what I mean.

RebtillDeath, it was a Thursday night game, should I tell my boss I need to leave at 3pm so I can get home for 3:30 so I can have the time cushion necessary to park in a college football stadium that's 40 minutes away from my house and starts at 7pm? Sounds like poor planning by Metro, the county, somebody first and foremost.

RedCannon, you can like the dirt all you want, but if you think the pregame atmosphere at Sam Boyd even remotely resonates with a top recruit, you'd be kidding yourself. That's why we need this new stadium.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

BleedRebelRed, I understand the whole county thing vis a vis with cost. And you're right, I could pay the extra money to park in the Star Nursery area, but I'm just talking about the whole collective sense of the place. It doesn't exactly scream big-time college football to me. Now, of course, if we get the new stadium, this isn't going to be an issue, but you see what I mean.

RebtillDeath, it was a Thursday night game, should I tell my boss I need to leave at 3pm so I can get home for 3:30 so I can have the time cushion necessary to park in a college football stadium that's 40 minutes away from my house and starts at 7pm? Sounds like poor planning by Metro, the county, somebody first and foremost.

RedCannon, you can like the dirt all you want, but if you think the pregame atmosphere at Sam Boyd even remotely resonates with a top recruit, you'd be kidding yourself. That's why we need this new stadium.

You are right - I've seen comments from visiting fans who have come for the Las Vegas Bowl.

The reason I was familiar with this issue was that a few years ago I looked into it when I thought that it would be a good suggestion to put not only a football practice facility adjacent to the stadium, but also a small satellite "Henderson UNLV Campus" that could relieve some of the parking problems on the main campus. But when I checked it turned out that the county owned everything outside fenced and paved area - and has other ambitions for the land.

 

[mvvsmith]

If the stadium is approved, I'd park in a lake for a few years, in celebration.

 

[RedCannon]

RedCannon, you can like the dirt all you want, but if you think the pregame atmosphere at Sam Boyd even remotely resonates with a top recruit, you'd be kidding yourself. That's why we need this new stadium.[/QUOTE]
Okay kid (relative to football games attended and played in) - top level REAL football players could
give a shit about dust blowing -parking lots. What you're referring to as "top level" recruits I don't want... and I'm sure HCTC does not want. - I've been watching 'top level level paved parking lot recrutes' getting run all over this weekend. I get your general argument of facility upgrades, which we all agree with
... And it's on it's way.
I've made the same argument that you have on the paving of the parking lots over many years. Recently with the significant shift in the program I actually have thought a long hard time about this- as I'm sure many long time donars have. If you are focused on the dirt - you're five steps behind. I'm glad you've started the conversation, but you're wrong. Enjoy the season of dirt Rebels

 

[reagan21]

I'd rather redo the locker room (not roomS) for the team than pave the lot. I've been parking in dirt since 1982...I'm used to it by now. Also, most big time programs have worse parking issues than parking for free on dirt. I went to BYU before coming home to UNLV. I had to walk over a mile to get to the game because there is no free parking, and as a student I didn't have the money to park in a lot that would take me 40 minutes to get into and 1.5 hours to get out of. Not trying to compare us with big programs. Just showing that the parking situation has 0 impact on a player coming to UNLV.

 

[VegasPete7]

You're both right that the lot may be a small thing, but when you add all of the small things together, you can start to see why we've been so inept in football. It's the whole thing that needs to be worked on -- from pregame atmosphere, to team diet, to workout/practice facilities, to about 2000 other things that can be mentioned. At least, CTS seems cognizant of these issues and is working on addressing them.

 

[Sam-I-am]

We left an extra hour earlier to get to the opener so we could enjoy the pregame warm-ups. Upon arriving at Russell & Boulder HWY we had to fight traffic for 45 minutes to get into the stadium because the CSI still had it blocked off due to the fatality at the intersection that had taken place hours earlier. The intersection wasn't cleared until 7. Thousands likely gave up on the game rather than fight that traffic.

It's simply shameful that the Entertainment Capital of the World has such a pathetic stadium, in such a pathetic location with such pathetic access.

 

[Rebel1986]

My understanding is that Broadbent originally made the deal back in the 70's to move the stadium out to that site in trade for a piece of land that was next to UNLV. If not for that deal the stadium would have been built next to the campus 45 years ago.

 

[BleedRebelRed90]

My understanding is that Broadbent originally made the deal back in the 70's to move the stadium out to that site in trade for a piece of land that was next to UNLV. If not for that deal the stadium would have been built next to the campus 45 years ago.

Is that how the county acquired the land to the west of the campus that now separates the "42 acre site at Trop and Russel" from the main campus? I wonder what else was involved in the transaction. Anyway, the in the deal the county only gave the LVCVA just enough land to carve out a stadium and minimal parking.

Anyway, what more have you heard about (Bob?) Broadbent's involvement? I have always heard that Tom Wiesner (at that time a politician) benefited greatly personally on the deal, but it's hard to find much info online from that era.

 

[Rebel1986]

I remember the deals, but the owners of the RJ back then were also involved in the deals, that also include a bunch of land transfers in Laughlin and what I would consider fake mining claims that were converted over into residential and commercial developments. Finding any of the stories is really hard now.