Nevada DOT To Athletics: Door Is Open To Chat About Ballpark On Tropicana Avenue Where DOT Is Working On Road Project
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
The Nevada Department of Transportation — like the rest of us here in Las Vegas — would welcome the chance to find out more about the Oakland Athletics’ construction plans for a ballpark at Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive just west of I-15 in the resort corridor.
The Nevada DOT is very interested. Why?
Well, the state agency is rebuilding the I-15/Tropicana interchange in a big way, and it’s only a long home run from where the Athletics said they would like to build a stadium for 30,000-32,000 MLB fans.
In fact, the DOT is widening Tropicana by one lane in both directions on the west side of the interstate and all of that widening is happening on the north side of Tropicana next to the old 49-acre Wild Wild West casino site that the A’s said they bought for a new baseball yard in Las Vegas. The road will get realigned later.
“Our project team would like to know more about the Athletics’ construction plans, including their anticipated start date and how their access needs will be affected by the construction,” Nevada DOT spokesman Justin Hopkins told LVSportsBiz.com Tuesday.
“We want to ensure that we coordinate with their needs and any other ongoing work in the area, as we strive to be good partners with our community and stakeholders,” Hopkins said. “If there are any adjustments we can make to our schedule or prioritize certain tasks to facilitate potential stadium work, we would like to know so that we can act quickly.”
Oh, there’s one other thing.
“NDOT has not yet heard from the Athletics about the ballpark proposal at Tropicana,” Hopkins said.
The Athletics and their lobbyists and representatives are busy talking with Nevada state legislators on a bill that would create a entertainment district that would include the ballpark. The A’s are also looking for tax credits and incentives. The entire value is $500 million worth of government help and the Major League Baseball team would like Clark County to sell bonds to help fund the construction of the $1.5 billion venue.
These types of “private-public” partnerships require sports stadium subsidy negotiations that are fluid and evolving. Clark County plans to discuss the A’s ballpark funding proposal at public meetings if state lawmakers approve a ballpark funding bill.
If the Athletics build the ballpark on Tropicana west of the Strip and the interstate, the ballclub will benefit from the fact that the DOT Trop project will include new, wider sidewalks so that fans can reach the ballpark from the Strip. The new sidewalks are already in the project works.
The Nevada DOT is also in the position to modify the road project to accommodate ballpark design features.
“As of this moment, NDOT’s goal is to complete the I-15/Tropicana project according to our schedule so that any construction on the lot north of Tropicana can take place,” Hopkins said. “We are looking forward to working with all stakeholders to fit the proposed stadium into our transportation infrastructure safely and efficiently.”
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The Tropicana road project also affects Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena on the east side of Interstate 15.
The Golden Knights lead the Edmonton Oilers two games to one in the Best-of-7 round two series. The winner plays the winner of the Seattle Kraken-Dallas Stars series in the Western Conference Finals. Game 4 of VGK vs Edmonton is Wednesday before the series switches back to T-Mobile Arena for Game 5 on Friday.
