Fine-tuned stadium traffic plan eases entry, exit at Raiders game

As events travel and spell astatine Allegiant Stadium, those progressive with the postulation program person been learning from each event.

The Raiders preseason matchup Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks marked the 3rd large lawsuit astatine the stadium — the archetypal for the Raiders with fans — and by each accounts the 3rd clip was the charm.

Ingress and egress to and from the stadium for the 50,101 fans successful attendance was a creaseless cognition Saturday, officials noted successful a quality merchandise connected Monday. Outside of a crash, it was an orderly operation, according to said Theresa Gaisser, manager of the Regional Transportation Commission’s Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation.

“Traffic adjacent the stadium was noticeably amended successful examination to erstwhile events,” Gaisser said. “Around 5 p.m., a conveyance crashed astatine the intersection of Russell Road and Valley View Boulevard, resulting successful a afloat closure of the intersection. Traffic alerts and freeway signage provided messaging to usher motorists astir this closure.”

Jack Theno of Henderson attended the crippled with his household of 4 and said Saturday’s crippled was a night-and-day acquisition compared to the July 10 Garth Brooks concert.

“We came during the Garth Brooks performance and we parked successful the N Lot (now the thrust hailing lot) and that was a beauteous large mess-up that we had,” Theno said aft the game. We thought it (parking) was a batch much organized (than Garth Brooks). Everyone seemed to cognize which batch they were going to.”

Officials tract the moving of the thrust hailing batch from southbound of the stadium crossed Russell to the northbound disconnected Dean Martin Drive and added signage connected roadways to amended place lane assignments were cardinal improvements.

Theno, who tailgated with aggregate radical successful Lot B connected the northwest broadside of the stadium, was a erstwhile Raiders play summons holder successful Oakland. He enjoyed the acquisition astatine Allegiant Stadium, but said it inactive a ways distant from the pregame activities astatine the RingCentral Coliseum successful the Bay Area.

‘A full antithetic scene’

“We utilized to tailgate successful Oakland a lot, truthful comparing it to Oakland, it was a full antithetic scene,” Theno said. “It was inactive beauteous good, but it wasn’t arsenic packed arsenic we thought it would beryllium and I recognize due to the fact that it was hot. So, we’re hoping to spot a batch much radical arsenic the play goes on.”

Officials said astir of the much than 6,000 spaces astatine onsite and adjacent tons were afloat of tailgaters contempt the heat. They, too, said they expect tailgating measurement expected to summation arsenic temperatures drop.

Theno said helium and his household hung astir the stadium a spot aft the crippled ended to let for the postulation to disperse. It took conscionable implicit an hr for the country surrounding the stadium to instrumentality to normal, with nary noticeable postulation successful sight.

For those walking crossed the Hacienda Avenue Bridge the acquisition appeared to beryllium little of an issue. There were h2o stations located astatine the mediate of the span and each astir the stadium, allowing eventgoers to enactment hydrated. Multiple six-seater play carts besides were connected manus to assistance transport patrons to and from the stadium.

The Raiders estimation that implicit 22,000 fans trekked crossed the Hacienda span for the game.

Officials attributed the postulation program moving smoother than erstwhile events successful portion to opening parking tons an hr earlier. Lots opened 4 hours up of kickoff astatine 2 p.m., allowing for a much staggered accomplishment of fans. That signifier volition stay successful spot going forward.

Theno said helium was 1 of the archetypal vehicles successful enactment to get into the parking tons astir the stadium and it didn’t instrumentality precise agelong to park.

“We took the Russell (Interstate 15) exit and we near (Henderson) astatine astir 1 o’clock and we got present astatine astir 1:30 p.m.,” Theno said. “We were successful enactment for astir 30 oregon 40 minutes oregon so.”

Another facet that apt helped with the stadium postulation was the RTC’s Game Day Express autobus service. Shuttling fans to and from 5 hotels crossed the valley, the work drew implicit 6,500 people, according to the RTC.

“The Game Day Express work operated highly good portion indispensable transit work to residents and Deuce connected the Strip work to visitors was simultaneously maintained,” Julien Francis, the commission’s lawman CEO, said successful a statement. “The Game Day Express drop-off and pick-up connected Dean Martin Drive, instantly adjacent to Allegiant Stadium, proved to beryllium convenient and fashionable with riders.”

A somewhat precocious arrival

Most fans made it into the stadium connected clip for kickoff. Erik Velasquez and his wife, Cynthia, were among those who didn’t rather marque it, aft driving to Las Vegas from Apple Valley, California, successful the day and being dropped disconnected astatine the stadium by a household member. Cynthia had a genu injury, truthful they wanted to skip the main unreserved of fans into the gathering and arrived astatine the stadium’s vicinity conscionable aft the crippled began.

“We got present astatine astir 6:15 p.m.,” Erik Velasquez said. “It was benignant of cool, due to the fact that determination was nary traffic. He drove america to a backmost roadworthy and we walked close up. We planned it that mode due to the fact that of her genu and we didn’t privation to locomotion up successful the crowd.”

Once wrong the Velasquez’s said unit was large and adjacent got offered her a wheelchair to get astir the stadium, erstwhile they saw that her genu was bandaged. Five minutes aboriginal unit located a wheelchair and the Velasquezes were disconnected to their seating area.

“The accommodation was awesome,” Cynthia Velasquez said. “It was a precise bully experience.”

Raiders President Dan Ventrelle noted the assorted ongoing changes to the postulation program and touted their success.

“Working with our partners astatine Clark County Public Works, RTC, NDOT and LVMPD has helped america marque important improvements to our parking, proscription and postulation absorption program,” Ventrelle said successful a statement. “We judge these improvements enhanced the wide acquisition of galore fans past night. We volition proceed to measure and amended the programme with each crippled and large lawsuit arsenic we larn much astir instrumentality preferences. The occurrence and popularity of the RTC’s Game Day Express work was a existent difference-maker, and we look guardant to continuing our enactment with each stadium partners.”

A small implicit an hr aft the crippled ended the country surrounding the stadium was quiet, with small postulation observed connected Russell and Dean Martin and conveyance postulation being reopened connected the Hacienda bridge. About a twelve stragglers were observed walking backmost toward the Strip connected the sidewalks.

“As our community’s postulation absorption bureau and transit provider, we are pleased with the continuing improvements comparative to postulation congestion surrounding Allegiant Stadium,” said RTC CEO MJ Maynard successful a statement. “Like the Raiders, we stock a communal extremity to make and present a affirmative acquisition for fans, and we admit the request for continual improvement and betterment of the program. While we expected beardown involvement from locals successful our Game Day Express transit service, we were adjacent a small amazed by the request for the service. We volition proceed to enactment with the Raiders to amended the programme portion ensuring we amended better and negociate the expectations of our riders.”

Contact Mick Akers astatine makers@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers connected Twitter.