Vegas to Get 550-Foot Ferris Wheel

A Ferris wheel taller than the Mandalay Bay Hotel is going up in Las Vegas, in one of the biggest construction projects the city has seen since 2009, reports USA Today. Called the High Roller, the 550-foot-tall Ferris wheel will feature 32 cabins that can hold 40 people each for the 30-minute ride. Even more importantly, developers say it will add 400 jobs over the next two years—200 during its construction and 200 permanently—much needed in one of the regions worst-hit by the economic crisis.

"What we don't need in Vegas is more hotel rooms and more casino capacity," said the CEO of the High Roller, who expects to break ground next month. The Ferris wheel will instead be the anchor to a new retail and entertainment district, called the Linq, featuring 200,000 square feet of shops and restaurants. The new district and Ferris wheel are set to open in late 2013. (More Las Vegas stories.)