(WXYZ) — The 2024 NFL Draft is set to bring hundreds of thousands of people into Downtown Detroit for the three-day event on April 25-27, and that means lot of vehicular traffic.
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Parking will be limited in the Downtown Detroit area, and there will be dozens of road closures leading up to and during the NFL draft.
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Because of that, there will be a variety of transportation options for fans coming from the suburbs of metro Detroit, and even for fans who are staying downtown for the draft days.
The main thing officials want to tell people: Get down there early, as this is like no other event that's taken place in the downtown area.
Draft entrances will be at:
- Jefferson Ave. and Randolph St.
- Jefferson Ave. and Griswold St.
- Cadillac Square and Randolph
Below are details about the different transportation options for the draft.
VIDEO: Watch the full press conference on the transportation plan for the NFL Draft in Detroit
Detroit People Mover
City of Detroit officials are letting people know that the only way to get from one side of the downtown area to the other is the Detroit People Mover. It will be running 24 hours a day and is free to use.
Officials say the closest People Mover stations to the draft entrances will be Financial District and Millender Center.
They expect trains to run every five minutes during peak service, and they may run a little slower during the overnight hours.
QLINE
Another option officials are encouraging people to use is the QLINE. The street train is also free will run from New Center to Sproat St. near Little Caesars Arena, and then people will be able to walk from that station to either the Detroit People Mover station at Grand Circus Park or keep on walking into the actual draft footprint.
The QLINE also has a park-and-ride option where people can park at different lots in New Center or Midtown for a discounted price and then take the QLINE.
Park-and-ride options will be at:
- WSU Lot 12 – Harper & Woodward - near the Amsterdam station
- New Center Garage – 116 Lothrop - near the Grand Blvd station
- Cass Garage – 6540 Cass Ave - near the Baltimore station
- John R & Piquette – 6230 John R. - near the Amsterdam station
Fan Shuttles
There are three different fan shuttles where fans can park at areas around the city and then take a shuttle into the downtown area.
Fan shuttle locations are:
- WSU Structures 1, 5, and 2 (first come, first serve) - 450 W. Palmer Ave - $10 per car
- Bagley Mobility Hub, 1501 Wabash Street - $15 (prepay recommended)
- River East Garage, 214 Rivard St. - $15 per car (prepay recommended)
People will be able to park at Wayne State for $10 and take the shuttle, at the Bagley Mobility Hub near Michigan Central Station for $15 and at the River East Parking Garage near the Ren Cen for $15.
Parking
The City of Detroit said fans who want to park in the area should get there early and try to pre-pay for parking, as there will be limited street parking. They have three different parking areas:
The Detroit Viewing Fan Zone as they call it will be directly in the downtown area. They encourage fans to arrive by 10 a.m. and expect high prices for parking.
The yellow zone will include areas around Little Caesars Arena and on the west side of downtown and the encourage people to arrive by noon. The green zone is fan shuttle lots and other areas in Midtown and New Center, where people can arrive a little bit later and take public transit into the area.
SMART Shuttles
Officials say they have worked with SMART to offer bus park-and-ride options. There will be the Woodward FAST, Gratiot FAST and Michigan FAST buses running into Downtown Detroit.
SMART park-and-ride options are:
- Great Lakes Crossing, 4000 Baldwin, Auburn Hills
- Lakeside Mall, 14000 Lakeside Circle, Sterling Heights
- Mt. Clemens Farmers Market, 141 North River Road
- Sterling Heights Meijer, 36000 Van Dyke Ave.
- Troy Civic Center Park and Ride lot, 520 W. Big Beaver Road
- Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge Campus, 27055 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills
- Southfield Transporation Center at 26991 Lasher Rd
- Westland Police Department, 36701 Ford Road
- Fairlane Town Center, 18900 Michigan Ave., Dearborn
- Lincoln Park Community Center, 3525 Dix Hwy.
- Southgate Meijer, 16300 Fort StreetT
Regional offerings
The Regional Transit Authority is also offering it's two coach buses from Detroit Metro Airport and from Ann Arbor.
The D2A2 service runs daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. with 16 non-stop trips between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Tickets are $6 in advance.
The DAX - Detroit Air Xpress - runs 3:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily with 16 non-stop round trips between the two Detroit Metro Airport terminals and Downtown Detroit.
