Continued: Drivers beware: 60,000 in Blaine for sports events

The stars have aligned for congestion today in Blaine, but officials say they're ready for it.

For the first (and probably the last) time, Blaine's two major sports events, the Schwan's USA Cup soccer tournament and the 3M Championship golf tournament, are taking place at the same time. Both long-standing events usually happen in the summer, but a PGA scheduling slip led to the unusual timing.

As a result, as many as 60,000 soccer players, families and golf enthusiasts will converge today on the 1.5-mile radius that includes the National Sports Center (NSC) and the Tournament Players Club golf course.

Rumor had it that Blaine City Manager Clark Arneson was looking forward to all the ado.

"I am," he said, noting that each tournament could bring in $15 million to $20 million in economic benefit to the region. "Traffic is good. For a city to have one of these events is a big deal. For a city to have two of these events in a week is a really big deal."

By Saturday morning, as many as 75 percent of the USA Cup's 981 teams will be eliminated from play, which will ease traffic as players and families disperse for sightseeing in other parts of the metro area, said Barclay Kruse, Schwan's USA Cup media director. But as the first rounds of golf start this morning, most of the teams still will be in play.

For the past six months, officials from the two tournaments have been meeting with representatives of the city and county to nail down a strategy to minimize the impact on city streets.

"We've had so many meetings it's unreal, to go over and make sure this was good for everyone, and so we didn't interfere with each other," said 3M Championship tournament director Hollis Cavner. "It's been a great cooperative effort."

The strategy: Separation

The guiding principle, Cavner said, is to try to separate traffic from each event. Golf spectators are being directed to come from the southeast, via Interstate 35W to the 95th Avenue/Hwy. 52 exit to the Radisson Road entrance of the Anoka County-Blaine Airport, where they can park and catch a 5-minute shuttle to the golf course.

Soccer families and spectators are being directed to enter from the southwest, via Hwy. 65 to the 105th Avenue entrance to the National Sports Center parking lot, "the minivan capitol of the world," Arneson joked. The 3M Championship also provided signs directing golf spectators away from the NSC lot.

"The concern is that there's people who have come to the tournament multiple years, and may just come to the Sports Center just out of habit," Kruse said. "What we want to try to do is let them know they're going to have a tough time finding a place to park."

In addition, there's a temporary semaphore at Radisson Road and 101st Avenue and officers directing traffic at 105th and Davenport and at 105th and Ken Irvin Parkway. There are cones along 105th Avenue to define turn lanes and direct traffic coming and going from the soccer tournament.

Big police presence

It's an all-hands-on-deck weekend for Blaine police, said Capt. Kerry Fenner, who has overseen security for both events since their inception. In addition to regular weekend patrols, about two dozen officers will provide security and direct traffic at peak times, along with a legion of police Explorer Scouts, police reserve officers and community service organization officers.

The area also will deal with an infusion of pedestrian traffic, especially around the soccer fields.

The 3M Championship is picking up the tab for security (including about $63,000 in police overtime), traffic management and traffic signage, to the tune of about $250,000, said Cavner.

As Blaine residents Larry and Diane Jensen entered the Kohl's store across the street from the NSC earlier this week, they said they don't feel put out by all the hubbub, and they won't avoid the area this weekend.

"I love going out there and seeing all the kids, and seeing all the activity," Larry Jensen said. "It's part of our community. I feel privileged to have all this stuff here."

A few possible scenarios could complicate the well-laid plans, such as severe weather, or the appearance of a celebrity or high-ranking official. But Fenner is optimistic that the planning will pay off.

"I would much rather plan for a golf tournament than a tornado," said Fenner, who also is the city's emergency management director, "because the outcome of a tournament is a winner."

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409