The Thursday evening commute could get downright gnarly.
Aside from the normal crush of folks leaving work, four major sporting events — three in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul — plus the State Fair and students moving into dorms at the University of Minnesota will put thousands of extra vehicles on the traffic grid.
Metro Transit officials are bracing for heavy ridership, and they plan to have every bus and light-rail vehicle that they can find operators for out on routes.
It could be one of those commutes that require a lot of patience and "some soothing music," said MnDOT's Kirsten Klein. "There are going to be a lot more people out. Make sure you plan for a little longer commute than normal."
More than 66,000 fans will pour into downtown Minneapolis as the Vikings play their final preseason game at 7 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium. Ten minutes later, on the other side of downtown, the first pitch will be thrown at Target Field for the Twins-White Sox game. Across the river starting at 8, the Gopher football team kicks off its season with a game against Oregon State at TCF Bank Stadium. Altogether, the three events will draw more than 100,000 people to the city.
"It might be the busiest traffic day of the year," said Minneapolis city spokesman Casper Hill. "But it's good to have a bustling downtown."
The city will do its best to keep cars flowing by stationing 45 traffic control agents at key intersections near the three stadiums, Hill said. Streets immediately around U.S. Bank Stadium — namely Chicago Avenue between 4th and 6th streets along with 4th Street at Park Avenue — will be closed to motor vehicle traffic. Compounding matters is that westbound Washington Avenue, from Portland Avenue to Hennepin Avenue, is closed for street reconstruction.
University of Minnesota officials are warning fans to expect congestion on campus streets in the hours directly preceding and following the 8 p.m. game.