Getting to the game isn’t half the fun! Here’s what you need to know about traffic patterns, parking and other changes since 2019.

by Liesl O’Dell (BSJ '92)

HEEERE COME THE GATORS! The return to full-capacity football games in the Swamp is certainly cause for excitement this fall, but much has changed since the last normal football season. Here’s how to plan for visit when you cheer for the Gators in person.

1. Some traffic patterns around campus have changed, so adjust/plan your route.

• University Avenue is now a strict 25 MPH and includes four speed humps/tables between Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and 13th Street. However, Gainesville Police will block off part of University Avenue to make a pedestrian-only zone from NW 22nd Street to NW 13th Street starting three hours before kickoff. Bicycles will be allowed to pass through these closed areas.
• Southwest 2nd Avenue (north side of the law school) once again will be two-way traffic before the game and one-way heading west toward I-75 after the game.
• Museum Road’s eastbound shuttle lane and a portion of Radio Road will close to the public three hours before kickoff. Museum Road’s westbound lane will stay open all day.
• The Union Road campus entrance at Tigert Hall off 13th Street all the way to the Plaza of the Americas adjacent to Library West/East will be closed.
• A portion of Museum Road from Null to McCarty Drive (behind the Reitz Union) will be closed. If traveling west from 13th Street onto Museum Road, there will be a detour going north on Null Road, turning left on McCarty Drive and back to Museum Road.

2. Download these mobile apps.

• Game tickets are digital-only now, and accessible through the Florida Gators app. Features of the app include the ability to send tickets or campus parking passes to other people (you’ll need a TicketMaster.com account), an interactive parking map and a way to report your game day issue to guest services.
• You can also order stadium concessions food through the Florida Gators app. “Express Ordering” will let you know when your order is read for pick-up, so you can avoid the lines, maximize your social distancing and minimize the chance of missing a big play on the field.
• GatorAider RTS bus passes can be purchased in advance or on game days via the PASSPORT Transit app. Tickets can also be purchased (with cash only) at Park and Ride locations on game days.
• Fans can use the “Park with Waze” option on the Florida Gators app on game days. All parking lots are included in the app, which will direct users to the lots, avoiding all the closures. You can also tell the app which lot you’re looking for, and its maps will guide you there.

Be sure to download the Florida Gators app, through which fans can handle all types of game day needs, including ordering concession stand food (and avoiding lines).

3. Plan where you’ll park. There are more options since the last full-fan game in 2019.

• The new parking garage (1,900 new spaces) in the commuter lot on Gale Lemerand Drive (lot 14) is available for Gator Boosters members.
• RV parking for Gator Boosters members will now be consolidated to a new RV City area at the new Florida Ballpark baseball stadium on Hull Road, with shuttles transporting fans to and from the game. Public RV parking passes are available via UF Transportation and Parking Services (https://taps.ufl.edu).
• Park-and-ride bussing, as well as the motorized trams are available from all these areas.
• Three hours prior to kickoff is when most road closures will begin. So if you plan to park on campus, be sure to arrive before then.

4. Plan where you’ll tailgate.

• Some campus locations are under construction and will be closed to tailgating. A few current examples:
• The former Alfred McKethan Baseball Stadium area is the site of the (under construction) Florida Football Training Center.
• Utility improvements are being made at the southeast entrance to Exactech Arena (O’Dome) and along the sidewalk to its south, adjacent to Stadium Road.
• A portion of the Reitz Union’s north lawn, extending into the McCarty Hall complex is the site of more utility improvements.
• Peabody Hall on the east side of the Plaza of the Americas by Criser Hall and Library East is undergoing construction to its dean of students area.
• The Public Safety building on the west side of Jennings Hall is under construction.
• The intersection of Museum Road and Newell Drive, and along Museum Road going west, ending at the intersection of Center/McCarty Drives is the site of some thermal utility infrastructure improvements.
• The parking area across Museum Road from the Reitz Union is now the site of the Wertheim College of Engineering’s (under construction) Data Science and Information Technology building.
• The area south of new parking garage No. 14 in the Commuter parking lot off Gale Lemerand Drive is the site of infrastructure improvements.

Note: The shuttle that picks up fans from numerous campus parking lots will drop passengers off in a new location to ensure the safety of pedestrians around the stadium. The old drop-off point at the intersection of Stadium Road and Gale Lemerand Drive has been changed to the East Hall parking lot on Gale Lemerand Drive behind the Gator Corner Dining Center (a.k.a. “The Trough”).

5. Plan your away-game trips early.

UF’s LSU and Georgia tickets will be hard to find this year, so think about single game tickets to:

• UF at USF on Sept. 11.
• UF at Kentucky on Oct. 2
• UF at South Carolina on Nov. 6
• UF at Missouri on Nov. 20

6. Check for additional changes.

Maj. Brad Barber, University Police Department Assistant Director, says more traffic and parking changes are expected throughout the season, so check police.ufl.edu for updates before each home game.

“Given the circumstances involved, all visitors need to plan ahead, give themselves extra time to arrive before the game, and be patient,” he said. “We know that there will be inconveniences created by these improvements, but we ask for your understanding. Go Gators!”