Indiana to Open Parking Lots, Gates Early to Accommodate Sellout Crowd for Cincinnati Game

Indiana isn't used to handling sell-out crowd at Memorial Stadium, so they're opening parking lots and stadium gates earlier than usual to accommodate the capacity crowd.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Excitement over Indiana football has reached new heights, and because Saturday's game with No. 8-ranked Cincinnati is sold out, the school is opening parking lots and stadium gates earlier than usual to accommodate the huge crowd.

All university parking lots will now open at 7 a.m. ET, five hours before kickoffs. And the stadium gates are going to open 30 minutes earlier than usual, at 10 a.m. ET instead of 10:30.

All parking lots are sold out, too, so fans without parking passes are advised to find alternate locations further away from Memorial Stadium. There are shuttle services from several other parking garages on campus, as well. 

The game begins at Noon ET and is being televised on ESPN.

Official university release

Here is the complete release from the school:

Bloomington, Indiana – As IU Football prepares to play in front of a sold-out crowd Saturday at Noon against Cincinnati, Memorial Stadium will be opening early for the occasion.

In an effort to ensure that fans will have the opportunity to avoid long lines when entering the stadium for the matchup with the eighth-ranked Bearcats, Memorial Stadium will open at 10 a.m. instead of the traditional 90 minutes prior to kickoff. All IU Athletics campus parking lots (including the grass lots south of 17th Street) will open at 7 a.m.

This adjustment is part of IU Athletics’ ongoing efforts to encourage fans to plan ahead, leave home early, and enter Memorial Stadium early throughout the 2021 season to minimize traffic congestion and reduce lines at the stadium’s entry points. Another component is that IU Athletics is paying the Martinsville Police Department to work the streetlights and intersections in Martinsville throughout the 2021 football season to improve traffic flow and relieve congestion.

Other important items to note for Saturday’s game:

IU Athletics Campus parking (which includes Gates 2-14 as well as the grass lots south of Memorial Stadium and 17th Street) is sold out for Saturday’s game. If you have not pre-purchased your parking, other convenient parking options are available on the IU campus.

IU Athletics’ free gameday fan shuttle will start Saturday at 10 a.m. and continue until kickoff, and resume at the game’s conclusion for an additional 90 minutes. The shuttle’s pick-up and drop-off location is Gate 13, and it will make continuous stops at two on-campus garages that offer free parking for fans – the Poplars Garage (415 East Sixth Street) and the Henderson Parking Garage (310 South Fess Ave.).

Additional parking options for fans to consider include the Luddy School Parking Garage (0.7 miles from Memorial Stadium, $30), the Fee Lane Parking Garage (0.8 miles, $30) and the Henderson Parking East Garage (1.4 miles, FREE).

SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC

The Bloomington portion of the Interstate 69 project (Section 5) that created traffic issues for the better part of the last five years is complete. All I-69 northbound and southbound lanes and exits in and around Bloomington will be open for Saturday’s game, and pre- and post-game traffic patterns around the stadium have returned to normal.

Football fans coming from the north, though, should plan for to the ongoing I-69 Finish Line project, which runs from Indianapolis to the south side of Martinsville. While State Road 37 remains open, there are a series of lane restrictions, access changes, reduced speed limits, and an official detour through Martinsville that will impact traffic for those who utilize State Road 37.

The following are a series of resources and recommended travel routes for Hoosier fans to consider.

Waze App

Waze, a community-based traffic and navigation app, will be used to communicate traffic patterns in real time. Fans are strongly encouraged to download and utilize it during their trip to Memorial Stadium. The app will automatically update the football pre and postgame traffic pattern as they go into effect. Download it here.

Text Updates

Fans can opt-in to the text alert system by texting IUFB to 313131 to begin receiving alerts from IU Athletics. Only pertinent information surrounding travel, traffic, weather and emergency situations will be shared on the text system.

INDOT TrafficWise

TrafficWise can be found on INDOT’s website and provides information about traffic conditions, road closures, traffic cameras, travel times and message boards. Fans can also call 1-800-261-7623 for updates.

I-69 Finish Line Project

The most current information about the I-69 Finish Line corridor can be found on the project website at www.I69finishline.com

Recommended Routes

IU Athletics has worked with INDOT to compile a series of options for travelers coming from the north to consider for IU home football games this fall. In addition to considering these routes, fans are also encouraged to plan to arrive early to minimize the impact of pre-game traffic:

State Road 67 through Martinsville

1. Follow State Road 67 to Martinsville

2. Turn Left onto State Road 39 through Martinsville

3. Turn Right to remain on State Road 39 and merge onto I-69 South to Bloomington

State Road 67 through Spencer

1. Follow State Road 67 to Martinsville

2. Continue on State Road 67 to Spencer

3. Take State Road 46 East to Bloomington

State Road 135 through Nashville

1. Take State Road 135 South through Morgantown and into Nashville

2. Take State Road 46 West to Bloomington

Interstate 65 through Columbus/Nashville

1. Take Interstate 65 South to Columbus

2. Exit on State Road 46 and go West to Bloomington

Interstate 70 through Spencer

1. Take Interstate 70 to US 231 South

2. Continue on US 231 South to Spencer

3. Turn left to follow State Road 46 East to Bloomington