Delivering Football Game Day Traffic Control
Game day is here. Fans have their tickets ready, tailgating snacks packed and they’re ready to go. Now, it’s time to help them arrive safely at the stadium.
“From Friday Night Lights to Super Bowl Sunday, AWP Safety helps teams and towns manage the complexity of football game day traffic control,” said Scott Spencer, vice president of AWP Safety’s Central Division. “Coast-to-coast, our local teams of traffic control experts optimize vehicle flow on and off campus to ensure everyone gets to games and back home safely.”
AWP Safety keeps football communities safe – and reduces the risk of traffic accidents at all levels of the game.
Protecting Fans in Ohio’s “Birthplace of Football”
Nationally ranked 16th in high school football, the Massillon Tigers are legendary for their roots (they started as a pro team in the 1800s), impressive record (they are 24-time state champions) and talent (23 Tigers alumni have played in the NFL). AWP Safety is the team’s exclusive traffic control provider. At home games, fans are greeted at the entrance of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium’s 4,000-space parking lot by AWP Safety trucks and Protectors. The AWP Safety team from North Canton, Ohio, installs all safety equipment and signage, and directs both vehicle and pedestrian traffic for 18,500 fans. That includes shuttle bus traffic transporting fans to and from overflow parking at a nearby shopping center.
Safeguarding Division I College Communities
Consistently ranked among the top 30 U.S. collegiate football teams, the Texas A&M Aggies also have one of the largest fan bases. In fact, on a Saturday in College Station, Texas, more than 102,000 fans file in to watch the Aggies play at Kyle Field – the largest stadium in collegiate football’s Southeastern Conference.
AWP Safety experts in Bryan, Texas, develop traffic control plans that make navigating College Station as easy as possible on game day, despite the multiple stadium access points, vehicle lots and parking garages.
“One of our goals is to ensure that emergency vehicles are able to quickly respond to calls even during peak traffic times,” Spencer said. “Keeping traffic organized and streets as clear as possible makes all the difference.”
AWP Safety has also helped bring some fun to the roads at Texas A&M! Texas A&M’s Fight Song starts with a pounding beat and a “Hullabaloo-Canek-Canek”. In 2017, AWP Safety installed permanent, maintenance-free rumble strips to mimic the beat for drivers along George Bush Drive on campus.
From their facility in Ogden, Utah, AWP Safety experts deliver the same safety solutions for two more Division I teams: The Utah Utes and the Utah State Aggies. Maximum crowd capacity at a Utes game is 51,000 fans. The Utah State Aggies can draw 25,100. A significant amount of equipment is needed for Utes games. Eight AWP Protectors set up and remove more than 850 pieces of individual equipment before and after the event, including vertical panels, type 2’s, stackable delineators, message and arrow boards, light towers and truck mounted attenuators.
“We set various lane closures about a week before, and start closing major roads around the stadium the day of the game,” says Taylor Ferrin, area manager of AWP Safety’s operations in Ogden. “During and after the game we shut down a major six-lane road in front of the Utes’ stadium, which helps fans leave in about half the time it would take otherwise.”
Traffic Safety for “The Big One”
Through its broad network of U.S. facilities, AWP Safety can deliver comprehensive safety solutions to teams in most cities with NFL stadiums. AWP has provided traffic control engineering, equipment and services for Super Bowl LVII in Phoenix, Ariz., and Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Ga.
For both events, our local teams designed and planned multiple road closures and traffic pattern changes for vehicles and pedestrians. In each case, Protectors installed thousands of pieces of equipment before the games, and supported traffic control for special events for NFL players, families and guests.
To view a PDF of this story, click here.
“From start to finish, we go the extra mile to offer consultation and support,” Spencer noted. “We are in constant contact with game day organizers and local law enforcement to ensure everything goes according to plan. Every day should be fun AND safe for football communities.”
Learn more about AWP Safety’s expert Event Services team, or Request Information about how we can help support your next event!
