DICKIES ARENA TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT PLAN EXPLAINED
Managing traffic before and after arena events is under Jeff Jones, Parking Services Manager for the arena’s Trail Drive Management. The Dickies Arena has a capacity of 14,000 seats, with just over 9,000 parking spaces available on campus, between the Dickies Arena parking lots (5,500) and Will Rogers Memorial Center parking lots (3,900). The Arena is estimating 120 events a year on average, with around 25 of them being considered A Level Traffic Events (10,000+ people). In order to assist with limiting traffic from going into the neighborhood, Mr. Jones says the public vehicular entry to all arena events will be directed to University Drive at Trail Drive using a combination of event-specific emails, website information, TXDot signage and GPS navigation. The designation for Montgomery Street will be identified as permit parking only. In addition, the City of Fort Worth Police Department will be placing large portable variable message boards warning of NO EVENT PARKING IN NEIGHBORHOOD either on the Montgomery off ramps or along Montgomery Street.
Between twelve and fourteen traffic police officers will be assigned on the ground at various intersections around the arena to direct traffic during large events with 10,000 or more people. Jones expects most large events to be finished around 11:00 p.m. At the end of events, all traffic lanes on Montgomery Street between I-30 and Bryce Street will be turned into southbound only. So, no northbound lanes until about an hour after the event. This operation will allow traffic leaving the Dickies Arena to free flow which should cut down on the desire for people to enter the neighborhood. Because of this traffic flow, any vehicles leaving the neighborhood onto Montgomery between these areas will NOT be able to turn left and head north bound while this restriction is in place.
The plan for ride share traffic (Uber, Lyft, taxi cabs) is to identify a drop off and pick up location for them so they will not stage in the neighborhood. The arena plans on working with both Uber and Lyft to create a geo-fence to keep ride share drivers from laying over or picking up their customers on neighborhood streets. This geo-fenced area will direct riders and drivers to the northeast corner of Harley and Montgomery in the north Harley Lot.
Here is a link to the powerpoint Jeff Jones presented at the AHNA membership meeting on September 17, 2019:
http://fortworthtexas.gov/files/650e9eaa-44b8-40c3-b3aa-449b2247eb7a.pdf