By Gwyneth Gibby
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Monday, August 27, 2007 12:00 am
Oregon State University football fans planning to be at Reser Stadium this Thursday night might need a little extra patience. The addition of about 2,600 new seats should mean bigger crowds - and that means more traffic.
"We increased seats, not parking spaces," said Corvallis Police Sgt. Jim Crain.
Crain has had the responsibility of getting fans into and out of the stadium area safely for about the past 10 years. He acknowledged it can be frustrating for fans. He pointed out that Corvallis streets have not expanded along with the stadium.
The highest traffic areas in Corvallis, both pre- and post-game, are Highway 20/34, Southwest 35th Street and Southwest 15th Street. Officers will patrol and enforce traffic laws along those main routes, as well as downtown, particularly watching for drivers running red lights and speeding.
Oregon State Police will beef up patrols near the interchange of Interstate 5 and Highway 20 and will focus on people driving under the influence of alcohol.
Most of the difficulty in Corvallis is getting people out of the stadium area after the game, according to Crain.
Thursday's game begins at 7 p.m., and it can take all day for fans to gather and find parking. But Crain said he doesn't have all day to get them moved out after the game.
Last year the longest it took to clear the area and get traffic across Corvallis back to normal was two and a half hours. This year he thinks it could take three hours.
Because games usually run about three hours, that could mean people will be leaving the stadium around 10 p.m., and that local streets could be clogged until well past midnight.
Police estimate that about 80 percent of people leaving Corvallis after the game will use Philomath Boulevard. Signs will help direct people for the most efficient traffic flow. After the game, Western Boulevard will be one-way heading east between Southwest 26th and Southwest 15th streets. Traffic control lights will be turned off at key intersections with officers directing vehicles to facilitate flow.
Reserves from the Benton County Sheriff's Office and motorcycle patrols will help cover the area and target drunken drivers and provide quick response for accidents, which are mostly fender-benders, according to Crain.
Crain said police have spent years studying traffic patterns around games, figuring out what the best timing for traffic lights is and where most people come into town and leave it. Anyone who has solutions to the post-game traffic problems is welcome to come forward.
"If someone can give me a better way to do it, I will listen," Crain said.
In the meantime, he said, "Bring your patience."