Las Vegas Monorail could be running again by Memorial Day weekend

The Las Vegas Monorail could be running again just before the Memorial Day weekend, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors was told Tuesday.

LVCVA President and CEO Steve Hill updated the board on the acquisition of the 3.9-mile elevated electric transit system and said several things could happen between now and the end of May, but he’s optimistic about reopening the system that has been parked since mid-March.

Hill said a convention that usually occurs in January — World of Concrete — was rescheduled to early June and the Monorail would be beneficial to the thousands of people expecting to attend. Hill also noted that the Memorial Day weekend traditionally brings thousands to Las Vegas for the traditional kickoff of summer.

“Given the hopeful path of the vaccine at this point, we think that somewhere just prior to the Memorial Day weekend we’ll be able to open the Monorail, get it back up and running in anticipation for some pretty significant attendance and visitation in the destination over Memorial Day weekend and leading up to World of Concrete and subsequent shows from there,” Hill told the board.

The board initially had planned to formally waive the prohibition of potentially competing transportation systems within the Las Vegas Monorail Non-Compete Zone on Tuesday but opted instead to scratch that from the agenda and address it at a special meeting Thursday afternoon.

Hill said the $24.26 million sale of the Monorail system to the LVCVA is still scheduled to close Wednesday as is $20.5 million in bond funding for the transaction.

Once the non-compete zone clause is waived, Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. can get permission from Clark County to begin work on its Vegas Loop underground transit system, a 15-mile system of tunnels connecting resorts on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas with McCarran International Airport and Allegiant Stadium.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.