Las Vegas Strip safety bollards to be completed by New Year's
LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — If you take a stroll along the Las Vegas Strip in the next few months, you might come across new safety bollards.
On Tuesday, construction crews began preparing the ground for safety bollards to be installed in front of the Mirage on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Thousands of people walk along the Las Vegas Strip every day. Large metal posts called bollards are a safety measure to protect pedestrians from drivers who could cause a lot of harm.
The county commission decided to move forward with installing the bollards after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identified many vulnerable spots on the Las Vegas Strip. These are areas where there are no barriers separating cars from pedestrians.
Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak says it's a step in the right direction,
"Putting these barriers between the pedestrian flow and the vehicle flow it's going to be a lot safer to be walking on those sidewalks, we want to sure that the public is as safe as we can this is another step in that direction.”
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In December 2015, police say a woman named Lakeisha Holloway plowed her car into 37 people on the sidewalk between the Paris Hotel and Planet Hollywood. One woman was killed. The city believes bollards can help prevent crashes like that one from happening again.
Dennis Cederburg with the Department of Public Works says the bollards will resist a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling 50 miles per hour.
One couple visiting the Strip from Canada says they’re happy the city is moving forward with the extra safety precaution.
"It's a deterrent for the vehicle then. It will hit something before it hits you," said tourist, Ethel Sabourin.
Her husband Keith agreed.
"A big percentage of people coming here from all over the world are our age. They're seniors, retired people. We'd like to enjoy the rest of our life, not get ran over," said Keith Sabourin.
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The county is planning to add 700 bollards along the Las Vegas Strip.
Work in front of the Mirage started around 1 a.m. and was expected to last around eight hours on Tuesday.
Construction will continue at the end of the month and is expected to wrap up before New Year's.
