Officials: Have a plan for games

Parking, road work present challenges

With the ever-shifting traffic and detours prompted by construction on Interstate 4, downtown Orlando can be a tricky place for even frequent visitors to navigate.

But a pair of upcoming bowl games just days apart — the Camping World Bowl on Thursday and Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day — will bring a deluge of fans from across the country to Camping World Stadium, which is also hosting Monster Jam and the NFL Pro Bowl next month.

City officials say they’re prepared to handle the extra traffic and there’s plenty of parking downtown to accommodate football crowds, despite the construction detours and recent closure of the parking lots beneath I-4.

Still, they say any locals planning to attend the game should have a plan before heading downtown — and get on the road early.

“A lot of them wait until the last minute,” said Scott Walker, the city’s traffic control manager. “If kickoff is at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and they live locally, they leave at 1:30 p.m. and they expect to get in, park and still have 20 minutes left.”

In an interview this week, Walker and other city officials shared some tips for avoiding a headache while visiting downtown for the big games.

Tip No. 1: Have a parking plan

The last of the parking lots beneath I-4, long one of the most visible parking areas for

downtown visitors, closed permanently in July, but there are still 28,000 public spaces available, according to the city.

A map of city-run parking areas is available at cityoforlando.net/parking. Parking for the bowl games and other Camping World Stadium events can be purchased in advance through the stadium’s website, campingworld stadium.com.

Knowing which lot or garage you plan to park in — prior to arriving downtown — is crucial to navigating efficiently, officials said.

For the upcoming bowl games, city officials suggested a pair of public garages just off Amelia Street near the former Amway Arena, Centroplex I and II, or the garage at the Orange County Courthouse.

The reason: The city is offering a free shuttle service to and from Camping World Stadium. For the Camping World Bowl, the shuttle will pick up on Amelia, near the Centroplex garages; for the Citrus Bowl, it will pick up near Bryan Avenue and Church Street.

The shuttle won’t have to wait at red lights. “When our people see that shuttle coming they will change that traffic signal to give that direction green so that the bus can keep moving,” Walker said.

Tip No. 2: Don’t trust GPS

The construction on I-4 has led to detours and shifting traffic patterns that make GPS navigating more difficult on normal days, but GPS services also can’t account for gameday detours, officials noted.

During big events, the city uses digital signs and other message boards to alert drivers to detours, and city staff and Orlando police will be out at intersections closing roads and redirecting traffic. A smartphone app won’t know which roads are closed.

“We’re staffed, along with traffic engineering, at the intersections where we can watch, where we can step out to mke sure the roadways are clear and we don’t get gridlocked or blocked,” said OPD Sgt. J. Darren Dillon.

Walker directs the action from the city’s Event Management Center. It has access to all of the city’s traffic cameras, which he can rotate to monitor the current road conditions from any angle, in real time.

“I can see so much more than you can out in the field,” Walker said. “If one of the officers is having an issue and wants to make some changes, we can see how that may affect the downstream traffic or the upstream traffic.”

If you do use GPS navigation, officials stress that it’s important to input the address of your parking area — not the stadium itself.

Tip No. 3: Driving alternatives

For those within striking distance of downtown, ride share services or taxis can offer a low-stress alternative to I-4 traffic and downtown parking, officials said.

For those farther away, SunRail is also an option. The commuter train system is offering expanded service for both bowl games. On Thursday, trains will depart from the Lynx Central Station heading north at 9:28 p.m. and 10:18 p.m. and south at 8:48 p.m. and 9:49 p.m.

On Jan. 1, SunRail trains will run from 8 a.m. to after 7 p.m. The full schedule is available at sunrail.com.

However you arrive, city officials are urging fans to get an early start, both to avoid traffic jams close to kickoff and because they hope football fans will visit local bars and restaurants before the game.

“The later people leave, the more likely they are to have challenges,” said Billy Hattaway, the city’s transportation director.

“The later people leave, the more likely they are to have challenges.” Billy Hattaway, Orlando’s transportation director