The Arnold, a concert and gallery hop will converge for a traffic nightmare
The city of Columbus Department of Public Service says using COTA, rideshare or carpooling, biking and walking are good alternatives to avoid driving and parking in the Short North and Arena District during this busy, event-filled weekend.
If you’re planning to attend the Short North gallery hop (4 to 8 p.m.) or the Sam Hunt concert at Nationwide Arena on Saturday (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), you’ll need plenty of time and patience to navigate heavier-than-normal traffic and street closures coinciding with the Arnold Sports Festival, which will feature finals for the Arnold Classic, Arnold Men’s Physique and Bikini International beginning at 7 p.m.
“We definitely advise (Sam Hunt) fans to arrive early. There’ll be two openers, so people will want to get there early,” said David Redelberger, director of communications and interactive marketing for Columbus Arena Sports & Entertainment.
The city of Columbus Department of Public Service says using COTA, rideshare or carpooling, biking and walking are good alternatives to avoid driving and parking in the Short North and Arena District during this busy, event-filled weekend. “A good thing is that with the Arnold, a lot of that daytime traffic will be heading out, so a lot of parking spaces will be opening up,” Redelberger said.
Street closures during the Arnold Sports Festival
Motorists also should be aware that there will be several street closures at various times during the Arnold.
Beginning Friday at 8 a.m., there will be closures on the west side of North High Street daily through Sunday. Streets that will be closed off at North High Street are West Swan Street, Spruce Street and Vine Street. However, drivers will be able to access parking in the garage at 45 Vine St.
These closures will be removed each day after the sports festival is over — at approximately 10 p.m., according to information from the Columbus Division Police Special Events Bureau.
At 8;30 a.m. on Sunday, High Street will close in front of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St., for setup of the Arnold Classic 5K Pump and Run, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. at North High and Goodale streets.
Closures at North High Street and Goodale Street will begin at 8 a.m. Sunday and there will be rolling closures along the race route, which includes much of Downtown. In addition, Vine and Spruce streets between High and Park streets will be closed to accommodate pedestrian traffic during the race.
The race is expected to end around noon and roads are anticipated to reopen by 1 p.m. with the exception of the aforementioned streets at North High Street — West Swan Street, Spruce Street and Vine Street — which will be closed until events at the convention center are over. Again, parking in the Vine Street garage will be accessible. The course map for the Arnold Classic 5K Pump and Run can be viewed at bit.ly/3swrbhv.
Where can you park in the Short North, Arena District, Convention Center?
To help guide you, here are links to some of the areas garages:
● For gallery hop parking, visit shortnorth.org/shortnorthparking to learn more about participating garages.
● For parking reservations near Nationwide Arena, visit arenadistrict.parkmobile.io/.
● For parking near the Greater Columbus Convention Center, visit columbusconventions.com/park/parkingavailability/.
bpaschal@dispatch.com