The $210 million, 500-ft-tall SkyVue observation wheel broke ground on the Las Vegas Strip, directly across from Mandalay Bay Resort. On Thursday, March 1, about 130 mixer-trucks delivered and placed 1,300 cu yards of concrete needed for the western hemisphere’s largest observation wheel. Las Vegas-based Nevada Ready Mix Inc. was the supplier. The attraction at 3951 Las Vegas Blvd. S. is being built by developers Howard Bulloch and David Gaffin. Vancouver-based Ledcor is the general contractor, with Norcross Construction, Las Vegas, as owner’s representative.
The 18-in-dia tubular steel wheel has 16 spokes that connect to a custom spindle and hub assembly made up of two massive 26,000-lb. roller bearings manufactured in Germany. The wheel is held upright by a pair of 274-ft cast-in-place columns that act like bicycle forks. The 9-ft by 15-ft columns are hollow with internal stairwells that double as service access shafts.