Officials want round-the-clock work on Convention Center expansion

Construction on the 47-acre Las Vegas Convention Center expansion site could take place around the clock if tourism officials have their way.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority wants to carry out construction on the $1.4 billon project at all hours of the day when needed, including from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., when work is normally prohibited because of noise concerns.

Clark County documents show the waiver will be filed to allow work to occur on the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to complete the project faster than if only daytime work were allowed.

The county commission last week was set to hear the authority’s pitch regarding the 24-hour schedule, but the matter was tabled until the July 18 meeting to ensure the information gathering requested by Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani is complete, said Amanda Peters, authority spokesperson.

With the time allowance reducing the project's impact, the staff recommends supporting the request, documents show.

The convention center expansion will add 1.44 million square feet of new facilities on the former sites of the Riviera and Landmark hotels. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020. The timetable would allow the expanded convention center to welcome the 2021 CES show, which takes place in January annually.

Plans call for a three-story structure. The first floor with include the exhibition halls, designed to be divided into smaller halls, the main entrance lobby, food court, kitchen, office space and storage. The second and third floors, located in the southwest portion, will include meeting rooms, support spaces and an outdoor terrace on the third floor.

The 25,000-square-foot outdoor events terrace on the third level drew the most excitement from convention planners consulting on the project, according to Robert Svedberg, principal at Tvsdesign, when presenting the design in April to the authority board.

Three holdover items from the June 20 commission meeting will also be discussed on July 18, including ensuring the allowance of food carts, cooking, drinking and retail sales in outdoor areas of the expansion and allowing outdoor live entertainment, among other uses.

The authority said the project is necessary because the convention center, as it stands now, is at capacity and unable to grow its current trade show lineup or add new shows.