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NEWS RELEASE

10-03-03

Contacts:
Doug Houghton, Department of Public Safety - Parking, (515) 294-1987
Tom Kroeschell, Athletics Department, (515) 294-3372
Annette Hacker, News Service, (515) 294-3720

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OFFERS TRAFFIC, PARKING TIPS FOR OCT. 4 CYCLONE FOOTBALL GAME

AMES, Iowa -- A crowd of 50,000 is expected to attend Saturday's annual family weekend football game, when the Iowa State Cyclones take on Oklahoma. University and Athletic Department officials offer the following tips to help fans avoid traffic snarls and arrive at the stadium safely:

Leave home in plenty of time to arrive for the 6 p.m. kickoff.
Fans have all day to get to Ames for an evening game, but they still may want to steer clear of peak arrival times, says Doug Houghton, parking director for Iowa State University's Department of Public Safety.

"Experience tells us traffic will be heaviest between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and again after 4 p.m.," Houghton says. "If you plan to come during that break, you'll have the best chances of driving right in."

Consider taking alternate routes.
Fans usually take the Elwood Drive exit off Highway 30 to get to Jack Trice Stadium, creating a bottleneck on the busiest game days. There are other options that may help alleviate fan frustration and aid traffic flow:

13th Street exit off Interstate 35
Go west on 13th Street, proceed 2 miles to Grand Avenue, and take a left. Proceed to Lincoln Way. Take a right on Lincoln Way to Elwood Drive; then turn left.
Duff Avenue exit off Highway 30
Head north on Duff, proceed to South 16th Street, and take a left. Continue west on South 16th Street and follow to Elwood Drive.
South Dakota exit off Highway 30
(Heading west, this is the fourth of the five Ames exits off Highway 30. Heading east, it is the second Ames exit.) Turn south onto South Dakota. Head north to Mortensen Road, then turn right onto Mortensen. Proceed east on Mortensen to Elwood Drive.

Frank Randall, assistant athletic director for event management, suggests traffic may be smoother if National Cyclone Club members proceed to Jack Trice Stadium via the Elwood Drive exit off Highway 30, and if members of the general public take the Duff Avenue exit. That way, the public has direct access to public lots, and National Cyclone Club members have direct access to their reserved lots, Randall says.

"For the general public, there may be advantages to taking the Duff Avenue exit, rather than the Elwood Drive exit," Houghton agrees. "They could then take Duff north to South 16th Street, or farther north to South Third Street, which turns into South Fourth as the street continues west. There is good public parking off South Fourth Street, every bit as close as the parking off South 16th Street. It's just on the north end of the stadium instead of the south."

Respect your fellow tailgater.
Avoid using two to three parking stalls for tailgate parties, which puts others who need to park at a disadvantage.

If you have a parking permit, don't pass it to another person to obtain "2-for-1" parking.
This creates confusion and puts fellow Cyclone fans at a disadvantage. Sharing parking passes means another pass-holder won't get to park in his or her assigned lot.

A few tickets remain for Saturday's game.

"We are well-organized to handle a nearly sold-out stadium, but anytime you bring 50,000 people to a small area there will be some traffic issues," Houghton says. "The fact remains that Jack Trice Stadium offers some of the most plentiful and nearby parking in the Big XII and beyond."

"Our goal is to get fans in and out quickly and safely. We ask for their continued courtesy as we examine a variety of short-, medium- and long-term steps to improve traffic and parking at Jack Trice Stadium."

Patience is especially important when exiting a night game, Houghton adds.

"The perception is that it takes longer to get out at a night game. It doesn't; it's just that there's more congestion because everyone wants to leave immediately."

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