Super Bowl Parking and Traffic Plan Released
After noting that the Super Bowl is the equivalent of a visit from the Pope from a security standpoint, the Host Committee and the Indianapolis Metro Police Department released the first details of their Super Bowl traffic plan today.
The big question: Where will you park once the Super circus pulls into town? Answers, released today, are here, on the new Know Before You Go website. Official are asking—nicely, because they’re Hoosiers—that citizens consult this site and plan their routes before heading downtown. “This is only going to be successful if we can educate everyone before they leave their homes for downtown,” says Mel Raines, the Host Committee’s vice president of event operations.
Some highlights:
>> Street closings start Jan. 19 and end Feb. 10. Starting Jan. 19, South Street in front of Lucas Oil Stadium and Capitol Avenue in front of the Indiana Convention Center will be off limits to vehicles. Starting Jan. 27, the city will close a few more blocks in those vicinities, as well as the south side of Monument Circle. On Super Bowl weekend, a few more blocks near Lucas Oil will be closed.
>> You’ll be able to get to work. Downtown workers should have access to their parking garages during the day. In the evening and on weekends, some garages will have restricted access. It’s up to the garage management and employers. Check with them for details on your usual garage.
>> Special routes have been established. Two downtown loops—the Super Route and the Bowl Route—have been identified as the best routes to use to skirt all street closings and most congestion. Super Bowl officials want you to use one of these loops when you’re commuting to and from work, and when you need to drive across downtown. Parking meters will be out of service on these routes.
>> Lots of police officers will be downtown. And they can tell you where to go.
>> Park and Ride. Starting Jan. 27, you can park at one of three locations—a garage downtown, the garage at the former airport, or the surface lots at the former Market Square Arena site—and then ride a shuttle to a drop-off spot near the Super Bowl Village. Spots can be reserved online, but reservations aren’t required. There are about 4,000 spots available. Cost is $2 per person, and the service will usually start at 3 p.m. on weekdays, and run all day on weekends
>> Bus rides. IndyGo will operate on a regular schedule, though there will be some downtown detours. All boarding and alighting will occur on Ohio Street. If you are riding IndyGo’s local fixed route service or ADA paratransit service (Open Door) from Feb. 2-5, your rides will be free courtesy of a federal grant. Note: Free rides do not apply to the Green Line Express.
>> Garage parking. You can look for a spot in a downtown parking garage—just expect to pay special-event rates. The only garage that will be closed is Circle Centre’s Moon Garage, on Georgia Street, from Jan. 27–Feb. 5.
>> Taxis. A couple of special taxi stands will be established.
>> Parking permit. If you have Super Bowl tickets, you can buy a game-day parking permit here.
Visit the Know Before You Go site before coming downtown starting Jan. 19. It’s all there.
Note: Indeed, the federal government puts the Super Bowl on par with a papal visit. Both carry the feds’ highest Special Event Assessment Rating—SEAR I. By comparison, the Indianapolis 500 is a SEAR III event, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four is a SEAR IV. The Super Bowl will be Indy’s first SEAR I occasion.
