AMES, Iowa -- Cyclone football fans who normally park in public, unpaved lots may want to make other arrangements this homecoming weekend.
Rain reduces grass lot parking
Continued rainfall has left large portions of the grass lots unsuitable for parking at this Saturday's game. Public parking near the stadium could be reduced by half or more -- a loss of about 2,000 parking spots. University officials are hopeful that some cars can still be accommodated, but it's unlikely that RVs and tailgate buses will be able to park on the grass this Saturday.
There are no changes to donor or National Cyclone Club parking, nearly all of which is paved.
Director of Public Safety Jerry Stewart says fans coming to the 11:30 a.m. game against Oklahoma should allow some extra time to safely and legally park, and strongly encourages people to park on Iowa State's central campus and take the free football shuttle.
Free CyRide shuttle
"We can accommodate a lot of cars on central campus on Saturday," Stewart said. "And the shuttle has become a very popular option for many fans. It's easy to park on central campus -- and then families and friends can board the bus and enjoy a real sense of camaraderie on the way to the game. Some alumni really enjoy the shuttle because it's the first time in years they've been on CyRide."
On weekends, anyone can park in general (yellow) or reserved (red) lots. From there, fans can catch the CyRide football shuttle route from seven different stops:
- Stephens Auditorium (west side; both pick-up and drop-off)
- Wallace Road (near the greenhouses)
- Metals Development Building (Pammel Drive)
- Communications Building (Pammel Drive)
- College of Design (east side, on Bissell Road)
- Friley Hall (Union Drive)
- Memorial Union (north side, Union Drive)**
Shuttle hours
The free shuttle will begin running two hours before kickoff and continue until approximately two hours after the game ends. Six CyRide buses will run every four minutes before and after the game, and every 20 minutes during the game. CyRide Director Sheri Kyras says extra buses will be added if necessary to keep the shuttles moving quickly to the game.
The football shuttle will deliver riders to the west side of Stephens Auditorium -- about one block from Jack Trice Stadium.
(** Regular hourly rates apply for those who park in the Memorial Union Parking Ramp.)