Coordinating Site Activities

Ram Nathan, Martin-Harris project manager, says the construction team tackled the logistics of excavation and construction as soon as the AutoCAD designs produced by KGA Architecture of Las Vegas were merged together to see any potential conflicts.

"We did have some points where a water line was coming into contact with another line and we dropped the water line," he said. "On a typical construction project, you have a set of drawings and you work to it and you are done. On this project, we have drawings, but we also had to prepare for what was going to be built after construction is completed."

The team had to prepare for elements to be assembled by Rock in Rio when it occupies the site. In addition to the stages and towers, Rock in Rio will add Rock Street, which comprises three temporary food-service, retail and entertainment structures themed to reflect cultural references from the U.S., United Kingdom and Brazil—the locales of Rock in Rio festivals.

In addition to meeting Rock in Rio's requirements, crews also had to ensure that the sophisticated underground infrastructure could accommodate future expansions to extend a raceway, water or sewer line or any other utility for other site uses. Nathan says the CAD designs were intricately coordinated with GPS data in order to confirm compliance with drawings and make a detailed record for future use.

"We had a contract with MGM Resorts and construction documents. And at the same time, it has to meet the requirements of Rock in Rio," Nathan says.

Municipal Stakeholders

Despite the extensive asphalt work on the project, no parking will be constructed at the site. Special considerations will be made to accommodate an anticipated increase in the number of limousines and taxis that will need to access the site as well as public transportation and foot traffic. By the end of the project, a several-acre pickup and drop-off area will be completed southwest of the venue.

Clark County, which manages Las Vegas Boulevard, and the Nevada Dept. of Transportation, which manages Sahara Avenue, took particular interest in ways to mitigate traffic as tens of thousands of patrons exit the site following an event.

A traffic study conducted for Rock in Rio and similar events found that with a maximum of 85,000 attendees, an anticipated peak of 15,938 pedestrians will move across Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard in just a 15-minute time span, says Tony Illia, NDOT public information officer.

Consequently, Martin-Harris installed wrought iron fencing in the median of the two streets in order to direct pedestrians to the crosswalks and sidewalks in order to not disturb traffic. The sidewalk along Las Vegas Boulevard was also widened to 15 ft to meet the current right-of-way requirement, Leone says.

Traffic-related improvements also include a bus pullout, a driveway for truck loading and improved pedestrian crosswalks at Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard.

And, to control the egress—as well as to make sure only those who have paid will get entry—Martin-Harris is installing more than 2,800 linear ft of 8-ft steel fence with 2.5-in. steel slats.