Staff/Faculty
As an employee, I received this email today regarding parking on game days:
"March 3. 2009
To Our Contract Holders,
Later this year, Gopher football will return to campus for the first time in almost three decades. With more than 50,000 people expected at each game, the Twin Cities campus will be transformed into a busy, spirited environment on seven Saturdays this fall. The opening of TCF Bank Stadium will also present some challenges on game days, namely access to campus and parking near campus.
Parking and Transportation Services and other University departments have joined with local and state transportation officials to create a comprehensive parking and traffic plan for Gopher football games. The goal is to design traffic and parking strategies that will ease congestion for the best campus travel experience possible.
In the coming months, football season ticket holders will begin selecting their seat and parking locations for the upcoming season. To ensure coordinated and convenient game day parking, most campus parking lots and ramps will be filled by season ticket holders, Faculty and staff who hold standard 24-hour University parking contracts will be able to use their contract on game days, but not in their regular contract locations. On game days, contract holders will be required to park in the following locations:
- East Bank contract holders will park in the East River Road Garage
- West Bank contract holders will park in the 21st Avenue Ramp
- St. Paul contract holders will park in the Gortner Avenue Ramp
Requests for exceptions to this plan must be submitted to and approved by appropriate collegiate dean or departmental vice president. All approved exceptions must be sent to Parking and Transportation Services at least five business days prior to the requested date. Parking and Transportation Services will respond to the request based on facility space availability.
On home game days, Gopher Football Shuttles will operate to bring patrons from outlying points on campus to the stadium. A western route will transport people from the East and West Banks with stops at Coffman Union/Northrop Mall and the Carlson School of Management. An eastern route will carry riders from the St. Paul campus with stops at the Gortner Avenue Ramp, the State Fairground Lot, and the South Como Lot. In addition, the Campus Connector will be operating on its regular weekend schedule.
For those who would rather completely avoid driving to campus on game days, there are a number of transportation alternatives. Metro Transit offers fast, frequent service to the University on several bus routes, and the Hiawatha light rail line stops at the Downtown East-Metrodome Station where you can catch a bus for a short ride to campus. In addition, bicycle parking is located throughout campus.
For additional information on game day related activities such as tailgating, please visit the TCF Bank Stadium website at
www.tcfbankstadium.com.
The opening of a new stadium and the return of Gopher football to campus is an exciting prospect. Much time and effort has been put into creating a plan that will ensure the event runs smoothly while still accommodating the educational and research necessities of the institution. We ask for your flexibility and patience with this major change. Please feel free to contact us with your parking questions at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Bob Baker, CAPP
Executive Director
Parking and Transportation Services"
Hope that helps clarify some of what you have been discussing!