Welcome to the Big Leagues

Perhaps the biggest and most impactful construction project going on in Las Vegas today is the Las Vegas stadium, optimistically set to be completed in 2020. Slowly taking shape in a previously vacant lot behind Mandalay Bay along Russell Road, the stadium will house the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders. Adding an NFL franchise to the NHL Golden Knights, the move will firmly establish the city as a major league sports town. If professional football has any where near the impact that the NHL did, (and it might have more,) it will change things dramatically for residents and tourists alike. The controversial $1.8 Billion project includes $750 Million in public financing, mostly funded by an increase in hotel taxes. The relatively small footprint of the stadium site will require a number of satellite parking locations and the already crowded South Strip traffic figures to be a nightmare, with over 60,000 fans trying to get to the game. But, whatever the problems, bringing the most successful American sports league to Vegas is a huge boost to the city’s image and should mean even more tourist dollars.