Vegas Loop Gets Green Light To Expand Tesla Tunnel Stops

If you have ridden in the "Vegas Loop," the tunnels that connect the wings of the Las Vegas Convention Center with Resorts World, you know what it is. Less subway, more some dude driving a Tesla in a tunnel just large enough to fit a Tesla. Sure it isn't mass transit the way you'll see in New York or Chicago, but hey. Vegas is different. Well, get ready to see even more stops around the valley. The Las Vegas Convention And Visitors Authority gave the thumbs up to expand its reach even farther.

In a meeting on Tuesday, nearly every member of the LVCVA board (less Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman) gave the blessing to Elon Musk's The Boring Company to expand the route down Paradise and toward the Thomas & Mack Center.

Sometimes you forget how difficult it can be to walk a mere mile. Driving on the Las Vegas Strip? No, thank you! This project has already proven its concept by cutting the walk from the Las Vegas Convention Center's South Hall to the new West Hall. The drive from both destinations in the Vegas Loop takes one tenth the amount of time that walking does.

The current route is obviously extremely limited. However, the entire plan is growing in scale rapidly. Nearly 70 miles of tunnels are planned for the system. The Vegas Loop will expand north towards downtown and west towards Spring Mountain and Chinatown. It will also expand further south to Allegiant Stadium, the Brightline West Las Vegas stop at Las Vegas Boulevard and Blue Diamond and, eventually, make its way to the Harry Reid International Airport.

Obviously this is going to take quite a bit of time. In the short term, look for the route to open soon at the Wynn Las Vegas and Westgate Las Vegas.

It hasn't been just rainbows and lollipops in the Vegas Loop. The Boring Company, tasked with literally boring the tunnels throughout the city, was recently cited by OSHA for violations at the jobsite and fined $112,000. The Boring Company is contesting those findings.

Man, does Las Vegas love an implosion. When a casino "goes down" on the Strip, it is an absolute spectacle. People gather late at night to watch things go boom. With the Tropicana set to close in April, a lot of people are getting ready to plan for their next implosion party. (Don't buy the balloons yet, the property hasn't determined how they'll do it).

But considering we've got TNT on the brain, let's come up with a list of the the properties that we think might be the next to go on the Las Vegas Strip. But before that...

Over the years, a bunch of properties have had their date with a detonator. While some of them have been pedestrian, others have absolutely brought the fire.

When the Stardust went down in 2007, it was a spectacle. A late-night 2am fireworks display followed by a pyrotechnics countdown on the building itself. This could very well be the high-water mark of Las Vegas implosions.

When the Hacienda went down in 1996, it was part of a New Years Eve celebration. The building went down right at midnight... east coast time. That way viewers on Fox could countdown to Michael Buffer delivering a play on his trademark phrase "let's get ready to crumble!"

The Landmark went down a year earlier in 1995 and probably takes the cake as the most fun building to sheer in half and crash to the ground. The property was once owned by billionaire Howard Hughes, who also owned KLAS-TV, and a bunch of land in the west side of the valley that has since become Summerlin. The guy was "peed in jars" levels of crazy... but they the property was pretty cool! And that blast of dirt at the end was apocalyptic.

Now that we've gotten a taste of the good ol' days, let's look to the future. If not the Tropicana... then who should be next to go?

There are some that believe if a property has a street named after it, it should be protected at all costs. The Sahara opened in 1952 and hosted many of the greats. Back in 2011, the property changed hands and eventually became the SLS Las Vegas. The rebrand was decent and the remodel was jaw dropping... but it didn't make many waves in the city. Eventually the legendary Sahara name came roaring back, and the property has been the beneficiary of many concert events across the street at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. We like what they've done with the property. But at the very least the parking garage has got to go.

This won't happen anytime soon, although it should. The clown property has seen better days but recently owner Phil Ruffin has put some cash into fixing the property's iconic neon sign. Is it pretty? No. But is the property paid for and an ATM for Ruffin? Yes. The property is sitting on over 100 acres of land - about 14 more than Resorts World! That is a lot of land to do a lot of things on. But the one thing Circus Circus has going for it that Resorts World and Fontainebleau do not? Low expectations and costs.

Say it with us... "blow it up!" The property is the home to Denny's, White Castle, and likely the worst accommodations on the Las Vegas Strip. It is actually quite shocking that this could be nestled near The Venetian. Sure, people need discount options but this is centrally located land. There is speculation that the owners have bigger plans for the property. The only thing that might stop this from being an implosion is the proximity to Harrah's. Unless...

First, we need to save Donny Osmond. Then, send the property packing. It has been open since 1972 and now has become a bit of a forgotten child between and across from several iconic landmarks. Of all the properties we think could be erased on this list, Harrah's and Casino Royale may take the cake. There is only so much you can update. We think if you were to keep Carnival Court and blow up the rest, many wouldn't notice.

Just talking about blowing up the Flamingo hurts. Yes, it is dated. Yes it is centrally located and if it were something of Resorts World or Fontainebleau's caliber with that location they'd be a juggernaut. But... this is the Flamingo. It has a street. Is the building ugly? Sure. Is the neon incredible? You bet. Just the history alone, you can't. Even Barbary Coast got a second (and third and fourth) life. Nevermind. We take this back.

Don't think you got out of this unscathed, MGM Resorts. The time has come for Excalibur. Of all the properties, we might feel the most strongly about this one. The property has been the "ugh fine, it's cheap" option for quite a while now. But there is so much space that is going unused and the theming is so weak at this point that there is no better time than now to let it rip. A new baseball stadium (supposedly) being opened across the street. The Knights. The Raiders. All walking distance. Tournament Of Kings? Thunder From Down Under? Australian Bee Gees? Please walk a safe distance away. We will find homes for you. Building? Ya gotta go.

The Las Vegas Strip technically ends at Sahara. But if you consider The Strat part of the Strip, first, sorry you're wrong. But second, sure, we'll give you a taste. The Strat has done some pretty great stuff lately to improve the property and their rooms. Plus the new Atomic Golf opening soon looks like it will be fun. But... we all saw that Landmark implosion. Admit it. It was cool. Imagine The Strat going down? That could be incredible! Plus, let's face it, it would be hilarious watching half the valley get lost after losing the one landmark they use to get a grasp on where they are in the city.