Bridge linking Tropicana, MGM Grand due to reopen

The pedestrian bridge linking the Tropicana and MGM Grand hotel-casinos will reopen Thursday on the Strip’s southern end, just as about 330,000 visitors are expected to visit Las Vegas during Independence Day weekend, the Nevada Department of Transportation said.

After the holiday, the bridge connecting the MGM Grand and New Yorknew York hotel-casinos will be closed July 5 for several upgrades expected to last through late September, Transportation Department spokesman Tony Illia said.

The stairs, escalators and elevators leading to the bridge connecting New York-new York and the Excalibur hotel-casinos will shut down July 10, but people will still be allowed to walk across the 165-foot-long span, Illia said.

Expect to see road restrictions at

Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, with construction extending roughly a quarter-mile in each direction from the busy intersection.

Renovations started in June 2016 to the four pedestrian bridges at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, allowing for new escalators, tempered-glass panes, aluminum panels and lighted handrails by the end of December.

The $30.2 million makeover is primarily funded by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Clark County will assume responsibility for the bridges when the project concludes.

“This project will greatly improve the safety and efficiency of pedestrian traffic flows while creating a sleek contemporary look that injects some new glamour to the Strip,” Illia said.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0336. Follow @ Amarroquin_lv on Twitter.