Advice on parking, tailgating for Hawkeye fans

Hawkeye fans can avoid traffic congestion and a shortage of parking near Kinnick Stadium by taking advantage of other parking facilities in the area and either using public transportation or walking to the games.

In downtown Iowa City, fans can ride shuttle buses that provide easy access to Kinnick Stadium. Just minutes off of Interstate 80 near the IHOP restaurant and at Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, they can board the Hawkeye Express train. Parking is also provided in University-owned parking lots located away from the stadium.

UI Athletics officials note that there will be limited parking adjacent to Kinnick Stadium, where most parking spaces will be reserved for fans with pre-paid parking privileges. As a reminder, all season ticket customers who have access to priority parking lots as a result of their annual contribution to the National I-Club will be required to prepay for their game-day parking. No financial transactions will take place at the entrance to priority parking lots on game day. Please contact the UI Athletics Ticket office at 319-335-9327 or 1-800-IA-HAWKS if you have not purchased your pre-paid parking permit for the 2009 football season. In addition, athletic officials note, the parking permits do not guarantee a spot.

Friday night tailgating-Fans tailgating Friday nights on public property are reminded that the possession of an open container of beer or wine or consumption of hard liquor is prohibited by law.  Law enforcement officers will ask a fan to empty the container and may issue a citation.

Game day parking fees-Car-$15.00, RV-$30.00, Bus-$40.00

Wood fires not permitted-Open wood fires or wood fires enclosed in portable fire pits are not permitted.  Fans can utilize LP or charcoal in an approved grill.

Street closing-Melrose Avenue at the corner of Hawkins Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic going west approximately 1 hour before game time. This will increase the safety of pedestrian traffic.

A number of convenient parking alternatives are available to fans:

-- Downtown Iowa City parking ramps are only a short walk from the Pentacrest, where fans can catch free shuttle buses to Kinnick.

-- Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville offers free parking and close proximity to the Hawkeye Express train depot. Free Hawkeye Express parking is also available minutes off of Interstate 80 near the IHOP restaurant. The train begins transporting fans three hours before game time and resumes at the end of the third quarter until 90 minutes after the game end. Round-trip tickets are $10 and children age 12 and under ride free.

-- Free parking for autos is available at Hancher Auditorium (Park Road and North Riverside Drive); Lots 11 and 64, located south of Burlington Street at Madison and Prentiss Streets (behind the Johnson County Jail); the Athletics Hall of Fame lot at the corner of Melrose and Mormon Trek Blvd.; and the Hawkeye Commuter parking lot on Hawkeye Park Road, just off of Mormon Trek or Melrose Ave.

-- Public parking on football Saturdays is permitted at the Iowa Memorial Union Parking Ramp and the North Campus Parking Ramp. The charge is 90 cents per hour.

-- $15 parking for automobiles is available at Hospital Ramp No. 4, the Finkbine Commuter parking lot (Hawkins Drive), the Finkbine Golf Course grass driving range, weather permitting, Lower Finkbine lot, Softball complex lot, and the Myrtle Avenue lot. Hospital Ramp No. 2 is reserved exclusively for Handicapped fans and UIHC patients. Hospital Ramp No. 1 is reserved for patients and visitors, no football parking is allowed. Hospital Ramp 3 is reserved for permit holders only.

-- Public Recreational vehicles may park at the Hawkeye Commuter Lot, the Hall of Fame Lot, the Softball Complex Lot, the Lower Finkbine Lot, and the hard surface only lot at the Finkbine Golf Course. There is a $30 charge for recreational vehicles and a $40 charge for cruiser buses.

-- The Alcohol Free Lot (Lot 14) is available to the public for automobiles only at the $15 rate.

-- Friday night parking is allowed after 7 p.m. Fans tailgating Friday nights on public property are reminded that the possession of an open container of beer or wine or consumption of hard liquor is prohibited by law.  Law enforcement officers will ask a fan to empty the container and may issue a citation.

Beginning two hours before game time, the free UI Cambus "Athletic Event" service will shuttle fans from the downtown Pentacrest, the Hancher Auditorium parking lots, and from the west campus Hawkeye Commuter and Hall of Fame parking lots to locations near the stadium. The shuttles will also operate for approximately 30 minutes after the game, taking riders back to the Pentacrest and to the Hancher, Hawkeye Commuter, and Hall of Fame lots.

Riders can also catch regular Cambuses after the game at the Veterans Administration Hospital on Newton Road, at the Center for Disabilities and Development loop, or at Slater Hall. Buses will not have access to the Hospital Ramp 2 stop immediately after the game, as that portion of Hawkins Drive will be closed to traffic for one hour after the game.

UI-owned cashiered parking lots will be open for overnight parking beginning at 7 p.m. on Fridays before games.

Overnight parking is allowed after 4:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Hawkeye Commuter Lot on Hawkeye Park Road near Iowa City West High School and at Lots 11 and 64 south of Burlington Street at Madison and Prentiss Streets.

On game days, UI parking areas will be open at 7 a.m. and traffic control will continue for two hours after the game.

Beer trucks, kegs and open bars are not permitted in any UI parking areas.  Amplified sound confined to tailgate area, LP and charcoal grills are permitted ONLY in lots and are prohibited in parking ramps. Open wood fires or wood fires in portable fire pits are not permitted in any lot or ramp. On Saturday football game days, only beer and wine are allowed in UI parking areas, except for alcohol-free Lot 14 at the corner of Melrose and South Grand Avenues. In keeping with state law, no hard liquor is allowed in any UI parking areas. Law Enforcement officers will empty an opened, visible bottle of hard liquor and issue citations to violators.

Football fans will not be allowed to pass through UI Hospitals and Clinics on their way to or from the game. For safety reasons, Stadium Drive north of Kinnick Stadium will be closed to vehicles when pre-game and post-game pedestrian traffic becomes heavy. In addition, Melrose Avenue at the corner of Hawkins Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic going west approximately one hour before game time to increase safety of pedestrian traffic.

For additional football parking information, please go to www.uifootballparking.com or click on the Gameday Central link at www.hawkeyesports.com

Upgraded chairback program-Cushion Seats Inc. will coordinate the Kinnick Stadium Chairback program. Season long and game by game leases are available.  Please call 1-866-895-7109 or go online at

www.hawkeyecushion.com for additional information.