2 games, 1 president, 3 likely traffic tie-ups
Phoenix-area motorists should expect heavy traffic during the latter part of today in three heavily traveled areas, courtesy of two big games and one big deal.
Tonight, the Arizona Cardinals will host the Denver Broncos in Glendale; Arizona State University’s Sun Devil football team will host the Stanford Cardinal in Tempe; and President Donald Trump will arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport tonight in advance of a Mesa rally on Friday.
The Cardinals kick off a little after 5 p.m.
ASU is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. The president is scheduled to arrive at 9:30 p.m., with Air Force One touching down at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
The games likely will bring heavy freeway and street traffic near the stadiums, while the president’s arrival could briefly disrupt traffic on streets around the airport and nearby freeway exit ramps, as police clear the way for his motorcade.
“We need folks to build in plenty of time to travel,” said Bart Graves, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman. “The off-ramps will be backed up ... we want to encourage people to exit earlier than they usually do and take the surface streets.”
DPS troopers patrol the freeways around the Valley, and some of them could see heavy traffic, including Interstate 10 through Phoenix, Loop 101 in the West Valley and Tempe, and Loop 202 in Phoenix and Tempe.
The two games are expected to contribute to normal midweek rush-hour conditions in the late afternoon, especially on freeways, said Doug Nintzel, an Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman.
ADOT is recommending that football fans plan on getting to the games earlier than usual.
“Westbound I-10 is expected to turn into a slow-and-go situation with Cardinals fans and commuters heading towards Glendale,” Nintzel said in an email to The Arizona Republic.
“If you can get an early start, using Loop 101 across the north Valley and west of I-17 might be a better bet than I-10.”
The Glendale Police Department emphasized the same message for fans arriving to State Farm Stadium.
“We cannot stress enough that fans need to plan accordingly for the increased drive time and traffic,” said Sgt. John Roth of the Glendale Police Department. “The parking lots will be open at 1:30 p.m., the Club Gates at 2:30 p.m., and main gates at 3:45 p.m.”
Drivers also should expect southbound Loop 101 and either direction of Loop 202 near Sun Devil Stadium to be busier than usual, Nintzel said.
The DPS traffic-operations center will be crucial for handling accidents today, Graves said.
The center operates in a large, circular room with screens that are linked to every freeway camera in Phoenix.
“The traffic-operations center will see the traffic and alert troopers in the field to respond . ... It helps clear up crashes and traffic faster,” Graves said. “This all depends on the drivers, though. Drivers cause crashes, not the freeways.”
The impact from the president’s arrival remains unknown.
The motorcade will close streets in the near vicinity of Sky Harbor International Airport, where President Trump will land.
Officials typically do not release the route of a presidential motorcade, but in the past, presidents have left the airport along 24th or 44th streets, heading north into Phoenix toward a high-end hotel or other venue for an overnight stay.
When that happens, police stop traffic ahead of the motorcade and along freeways where traffic might be exiting, which can cause backups that take a while to clear out.