AI Takes the Wheel to Direct Traffic at Fremont Street Experience

Posted on: March 15, 2024, 09:17h. 

Last updated on: March 18, 2024, 01:47h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Myths.

Las Vegas is launching a pilot program that will use artificial intelligence to monitor and control pedestrian traffic at the Fremont Street Experience. A $1.4 million federal grant will be used to install the system in and around the crowded downtown tourist corridor by early 2025.

Pedestrians cross N. 3rd Street beneath the Fremont Street Experience canopy
Pedestrians cross N. 3rd Street beneath the Fremont Street Experience canopy in downtown Las Vegas. (Image: Getty)

AI’s role is to adjust the traffic lights and crosswalk sign time based on real-time measurements it takes of crowd volume and movement. This aims to eliminate the frequent and occasionally dangerous bottlenecks of people, sometimes hundreds deep, who wait to cross busy intersections.

As part of the pilot program, the government will issue cards to some people who can access push buttons that request extra crossing time.

The system will be installed in 16 intersections between a section of Las Vegas Boulevard and Main Street, and Ogden and Carson avenues. It’s part of the city of Las Vegas’ “Vision Zero” program, which aims to increase traffic safety across the downtown area.

Each year, more than 26 million people visit the five-block Fremont Street Experience canopy, which is lined with casinos, restaurants, bars, and shops.

The federal funds came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.) helped secure from U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg last year.

“Las Vegas will pilot adaptive technology, significantly reducing pedestrian-related crashes and improving traffic flow along our community’s roadways,” Titus said in a statement. “I will keep working in Congress to secure funding for projects that help safely move all roadway users around the Valley.”