Aug. 26, 2010

Pigskin parking tips for ISU home opener

by Annette Hacker, News Service

Parking update (Sept. 1): Steady rain showers late Tuesday prompted ISU officials to close additional areas in some public parking lots for the Sept. 2 Iowa State-Northern Illinois football game. Grass lots G-4, G-5 and G-8 (along South 16th Street) will have limited availability due to saturated ground. Parking lots north of Center Drive also remain closed to accommodate flood recovery work in Hilton Coliseum.

Fans are encouraged to car pool and use smaller vehicles, rather than bring buses and RVs. Early arrival to the game also is advised.

Paved parking lots at the College of Veterinary Medicine and all donor lots are expected to remain accessible. Public parking options include the use of central campus parking lots after 5 p.m. The free CyRide orange route (No. 4) will operate from the Kmart parking lot (1405 Buckeye Ave., off South 16th Street), beginning at 5 p.m. and run until after the conclusion of the game. Riders are cautioned that wait times between shuttles, especially after the game, could be long.

Updates on lot closures will be posted on the ISU parking division's web site.

On Thursday, Sept. 2, we'll kick off Iowa State's football season the way we have for the past five years -- with a pre-Labor Day weekend home opener at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones take on Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. The game will be carried live by most Fox Sports Net affiliates across the country. Fans headed to Ames will begin streaming into the stadium parking lots when they open at 1 p.m.

As they always do, people who normally park around the stadium and in commuter lots will need to move their cars. But Thursday is still a regular class and work day on campus, so campus parking spots will be scarce.

Finding room for an extra 3,000 cars in campus parking spaces requires a little cooperation on everyone's part. Public safety and athletics officials expect the process to go smoothly, based on the patience and courtesy people have shown in previous years.

Commuters who normally park in the Iowa State Center lots will be directed to any of these locations on Sept. 2:

Kmart/Staples parking lot, 1405 Buckeye Ave. (east side only, along Buckeye). From this site, ride Cy-Ride's Orange Route free to campus.
Lot 29, north of the Communications Building and Molecular Biology
Lot 29B, west of Frederiksen Court across Stange Road
Memorial Union Parking Ramp (regular hourly rates apply)
General Staff lots (designated with gold signs) on campus after 11 a.m.

Here's what you need to know before Sept. 2:

Public parking

Public parking lots at Jack Trice Stadium open at 1 p.m. on Sept. 2. Officials prefer that parking stalls be used by fans who have tickets to the game. Public parking near the stadium is $20 per car and $40 for RVs and buses. Medical accessible parking is located in Lot S2.

Some lots are soggy

Due to recent flooding, a large portion of grass lots G4 and G5 (along the north side of South 16th Street) will not be available this season, said ISU parking division manager Mark Miller. The affected areas will be aerated and reseeded as soon as possible. Staff will be on hand to direct patrons to other areas when the available portions of the lots are filled. "Please plan accordingly and carpool if you can," Miller said.

Commuters

Motorists who normally park in the Iowa State Center lots will be directed to any of these locations on Sept. 2:

Kmart/Staples parking lot, 1405 Buckeye Ave. (east side only, along Buckeye)
Lot 29, north of the Communications Building and Molecular Biology
Lot 29B, west of Frederiksen Court across Stange Road
Memorial Union Parking Ramp (regular hourly rates apply)
General Staff lots (designated with gold signs) on campus after 11 a.m.

Commuters will be provided with this information multiple times, and signs will be posted in and around the Ann Campbell Transit Station.

Commuters may ride Cy-Ride's Orange Route free from the east side of the Kmart lot to campus. Pickup from the Kmart lot will run at least every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 2. Look for the bus stop signs.

Stadium permits

Those who usually park at Jack Trice Stadium will be asked to move their cars between 5 and 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 1. They'll be directed to:

Lots A, B, C and G at the Towers (Lot 61)
Lot 100, Lied Recreation Center
Lot 29, north of the Communications and Molecular Biology buildings
Lot 29B, west of Frederiksen Court across Stange Road
East Campus Parking Deck (upper deck only)

All stadium permit holders must move their cars by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 1, and may return their cars to the stadium before noon on Friday, Sept. 3. Stadium parkers -- primarily students -- also will receive an e-mail with this information.

Reserved (red) permits

It's business as usual in reserved lots on Sept. 2. These parking spots are not up for grabs. Reserved spaces will remain available only to those with reserved permits for an assigned lot.

General staff (gold) permits

General staff lots will be open to the public after 11 a.m. on Sept. 2. If you have a general staff permit, you'll have no problem grabbing a parking space first thing in the morning, but you may lose your spot if you leave for a meeting or lunch. Consider walking to appointments if at all possible.

Disability, 24-hour reserve permits

Parking in spaces for holders of these permits will be strictly enforced.

At day's end

Get in the game and cheer on the Cyclones! But if you're headed elsewhere, avoid traffic near the stadium.

Be a courteous tailgater

Limit your tailgating to one parking space, and don't block the path for other vehicles to park. No glass bottles, kegs or open fires are allowed in parking lots. Iowa State is a smoke-free campus; no smoking is allowed in or near Jack Trice Stadium.

These items are NOT allowed in Jack Trice Stadium: