‘We’re in the red zone’: NFL takes over Allegiant Stadium as Super Bowl nears

The NFL wasted no time taking over Allegiant Stadium to begin preparations for Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11.

League officials arrived Monday, one day after the Raiders ended their season with a victory over the Broncos, and will have control of the stadium until mid-February.

“It’s boots on the ground,” said Sam Joffray, Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee CEO. “It’s contractors, it’s vendors, it’s NFL staff in daily meetings. They’re executing the plan, and you’ll start seeing cones, signage, structures. The campus will slowly evolve over the next 30 days to something that you won’t recognize.”

With the NFL arriving, road closures also began in the area surrounding the stadium and will continue to ramp up in the next month.

The NFL staff, its contractors and vendors will transform the parking lots around the 65,000-capacity stadium into a major tailgating area with temporary structures. Hacienda Avenue will be made into the largest entry point for the game, and the interior will be fine-tuned to give it a Super Bowl specific look.

“We’ll continue a gradual build-out as we get closer and closer to game day,” Katie Keenan, senior director of live events for the NFL, said during a Clark County Commission meeting in December.

Al Davis Way and Allegiant Stadium Way were the first to close Monday, with partial closures planned for other roads, including Dean Martin Drive, Polaris Avenue and Hacienda, beginning next week.

“We will do our best to limit these as much as possible, giving the concerns over traffic, but obviously when you’re building out something as large as a Super Bowl, there are going to be requirements for some of those things,” Keenan said.

Joffray said he doesn’t expect major traffic implications in other areas of the resort corridor.

“Outside of around the stadium and the immediate area around the stadium, hopefully you’ll see very little,” he said. “There are a couple of lane closures planned for the CBS set build-out, but those will be reduced eventually. … Hopefully you’re not going to see a lot of disruption unless you’re driving around the stadium to look at things and get a sneak peek of what’s happening.”

Steve Hill, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and CEO, used a football term to describe preparations for the game.

“We’re in the red zone,” he said. “I’ve talked to people who have been in town for decades, and the idea that this could have happened 10 years ago is pretty nonexistent. It actually taking place is emotional for some folks.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.