Las Vegas business along F1 track frustrated by new bridge he says is deterring customers

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Many business owners are still unhappy with the temporary bridge at the intersection of Flamingo and Koval created for the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This year, the temporary bridge has fewer lanes, but a new pedestrian bridge in the area is a new point of contention.

It’s blocking off one of the two entrances to Jay’s Market on Flamingo, which sits right along the race track.

Not only is one of the entrances blocked, Owner Wade Bohn says he expects it to be blocked longer than it was last year. In 2023, he says the same entrance was fenced off briefly due to track barriers.

“There was just a fence there, and it was literally taken down a day after the race,” Bohn says. “I had immediate access to both entrances.”

F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix’s Lori Nelson-Kraft said whether the pedestrian bridge was built or not, Bohn’s property would have been blocked off regardless for the same amount of time it was blocked last year because his property sits right along the race track.

She says they met with Bohn to explain their plans back in June, and have been meeting with impacted businesses monthly, but Bohn hasn’t joined.

“You’ve had one conversation with me like four months ago,” Bohn says. “You’re talking to me? You’re not talking to me.”

Bohn also expressed concerns about product delivery, on top of sales.

“Trying to get the semis in here is very tough to do,” he says. “They have to come in from Flamingo, then jockey around, back it up back it up back it up.”

He says he feels stabbed in the back by the city he grew up in.

“It’s an hour and a half race once a year, hour and a half, and I suffer pretty much half the year,” Bohn says. “I am really concerned about ending up going out of business.”

Four businesses in the Flamingo and Koval area have filed three separate lawsuits against F1, Bohn says his own lawsuit is in progress.

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