Buckeyes Gear Up For Trojan Rematch

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It’s the rematch the Buckeye Nation has been waiting for: Buckeyes versus Trojans.

All eyes will be on Columbus Saturday night: News crews from across the nation and major networks, such as ESPN, were setting up near the Ohio Stadium Friday.

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NBC 4 Sports’ Jerod Smalley said the USC Trojans had a walk-through at the stadium Friday afternoon.

Fans said the team needs to control the game up front.

After a win, one of fans’ biggest concerns is traffic getting to and from the night game that starts at 8 p.m.

It’s expected to be a close game. Hundreds of thousands of fans will be on campus until the last snap, and they all will be leaving at the same time.

NBC 4 has answers on how you can make your game-time trip a little less painful.

Fans should expect large crowds and traffic delays, especially following the game.

On S.R. 315, all of the southbound exits will be open to game traffic. Northbound traffic will only have access to the Lane Avenue exit ramp.

ODOT suggests using Interstate 71 as an alternate route or taking U.S. Route 33 to Lane Avenue.

A new, low-power radio station will have continuous traffic information and updates.

1650AM will provide directions to and from Ohio Stadium, the medical center and the veterinary hospital.

Fans leaving the game could find it takes twice as long to exit campus as in the past.

PARKING
Vehicles parked closest to the stadium likely will take the longest to exit.

OSU wants to ease post-game traffic by having you to park in the direction you'll be leaving. If you'll be heading south after the game, park in the lots south of the stadium. If you'll be going north after the game, park in the lots north of the stadium.

Fans should expect some delays and allow extra time to get into campus.

Day-of-game parking lots open at 5 a.m. Parking is $10.

Public parking is available in any “day-of-game” lot on a first-come, first-served basis at a charge of $10 per vehicle (no charge with a current OSU parking permit). These parking lots include parts of the Polo Field lot, Ag Campus lots, Fawcett Center, Buckeye lots at the Schottenstein Center and West Campus lots. Free bus service from West Campus begins at 11 a.m. and continues until crowds are diminished.

Campus garages available for public parking include the Ohio Union North & South, Arps Hall, South Cannon, 9th Ave. East & West, 11th Ave., and 12th Ave. facilities.

Parking for the disabled
There are more than 800 spaces in the lots north of St. John Arena (for those who will travel north after the game). To reach these spaces, enter campus from High Street and proceed west on Woodruff Avenue There are another 800-plus spaces located in the Neil Avenue garage, just south of Ohio Stadium (for those who will travel south after the game). To access these spaces, enter campus from the south along Neil Ave.

For parking access, motorists should prominently display a valid disability permit and follow the officer’s directions. Franklin County sheriff’s deputies will be checking placards at both locations. Anyone using a placard without having the registered owner in the car will be unable to park and subject to a citation.

PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU
The City of Columbus Parking Violations Bureau (PVB) will be open special hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, for motorists whose cars are towed for illegal parking before and during Saturday night’s OSU-USC game.

Motorists are advised to pay close attention to all “No Parking” and parking restrictions signage and obey all parking laws when they park their vehicles. Illegally parked cars are subject to ticketing and towing.

The Parking Violations Bureau, at 400 West Whittier St., accepts only cash and credit cards (Visa, Discover, MasterCard only) for release of impounded vehicles. More information is available at www.columbuspvb.com.

PARK-N-RIDE
COTA plans to ramp up its service around town and to and from its Park-n-Ride locations. It is also adding a Park-n-Ride at the Ohio Expo Center's 17th Avenue lot.

Express buses will start running three hours before kickoff.

Parking will be $5 per car, and the round-trip bus service will be $4 per adult.

Buses will run more frequently on High Street, Neil Avenue, Hamilton Avenue and Kenny Road. One-way local fares are $1.50.

Ohio State has made its own arrangements to have a Park-n-Ride from the City Center parking garage in downtown Columbus. The service costs $5 per vehicle to park and $5 per person to ride the shuttle that goes directly to and from University Hall on campus (just east of Ohio Stadium), beginning at 3 p.m. through two hours following the end of the game.

Free bus service from West Campus begins at 11 a.m. and continues until crowds have diminished. Normally this service ends one hour following the end of the game. Service will be extended to accommodate the expected mass exit as the game ends. Shuttles pick up and drop off fans at Mount Hall on West Campus and the Sisson Hall footbridge located just west of Drake Union and Ohio Stadium.

PEDAL INSTEAD
And the Pedal Instead Program will provide bike corrals at all of this year's home games. The corrals have become more and more popular each year. Cyclists drop off their bikes with volunteers who will hand them a claim-check.

The volunteers guard the bikes during the game and make sure the bikes are returned to the correct owners after the event.

The main corral will be at the east end of the Woody Hayes bridge, where the road meets the bike path, only a few hundred yards from the stadium. If that corral fills up, an alternate corral will open at the Cannon Drive basketball courts, across from Lincoln Tower.

The Pedal Instead corrals are free, but they encourage tipping to help fund the program.

And best of all, if you live relatively close to campus ... walk.

Additional informational links:
- Ride COTA to the Games: http://www.cota.com/current_promotions-2009OSU_service.asp
- Pedal Instead program: http://pedalinstead.org/
- S.R. 315 Construction : http://www.BuckeyeTraffic.org/315
- OSU Football Parking Map: http://tp.osu.edu/Maps/FootballParkingMap.pdf
- More info on OSU parking: http://www.osu.edu/news/newsitem2511

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