Best Interstates Around Stadiums...

[Stephane Dumas]

Should we include some arenas who are in use for hockey and basketball like the Civic Center aka the Igloo at Pittsburgh currently used by the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins or the Auburn Hills Palace home of Detroit NBA Pistons?

[mightyace]

I guess you like racetracks even less since they are generally much larger that football stadiums and have only 1 to 3 major events per year.

It's not that I don't like them.  It's that they're a very inefficient use of land for the few times it's used.  Where I find annoyance is when there's public financing involved (as is the case with most professional sports stadiums), with football being by far the worst offender in terms of the public financing-to-number of games ratio...

Well, unlike stick-and-ball sports stadiums, most tracks are privately owned and financed.  Mass transit is often not an option given the distance of most tracks from the metropolitan area.  The only track that I know of that has a mass transit option is Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA which is served by Metrolink.  (That's ironic because attendance is anemic there.)

Now, back on topic.  I've only been to a handful of racetracks (Talladega, Nashville, Pocono, Indianapolis, Watkins Glen).

The worst one is Talladega, the access road to the track parallels I-20 but I-20 is just four lanes in this stretch and the exit ramps are one lane.  There are still traffic jams four hours after the race!  But, as the track is out in the middle of nowhere, the State of Alabama probably doesn't want to spend to upgrade roads that will only be used for two weeks a year.

The best on of that bunch is Indianapolis.  The track is a couple of miles from I-465 but with the help of the standard midwestern grid system of streets, access is relatively easy.  Last year, traffic was cleared out less than two hours after the Brickyard 400 even though the capacity is larger than Talladega's.

[TheStranger]

Mightyace: On a local level, most of the racetracks in NorCal have very good highway/freeway access:

- Placerville Speedway is off of US 50 Exit 44B
- Petaluma Speedway is one block from US 101
- Sears Point is on Route 121
- Stockton 99 is located on old US 99 (thus the name!) a few blocks from the current Route 99 freeway; Madera Speedway is just off of Route 99 as well

Some are a few blocks more from the freeway (i.e. Silver Dollar Speedway in Chicago, about a mile from Route 99) or highway (Calistoga Speedway is about 6 blocks north from Route 29, while Sacramento Raceway Park is about a half mile north of Route 16 along Excelsior Road).

Worst access from a numbered route in this region IMO would be Marysville Raceway Park.

Altamont Raceway is located near I-580/I-205 but track access is not direct off of the freeways.

[wandering drive]

I don't do enough traveling around Miller Park when games are getting out, but it is an impressive sight while going down I-94.  Contrast this with the ugly concrete hulk of NO's Superdome.

As for Minnesota, I haven't seen the new stadia (for the University or the Twins), but the Metrodome is very accessible from a public transit point of view with many bus routes and the Hiawatha Line light rail system, and the freeways don't clog too badly after games -- downtown streets are another thing entirely.
The Metropolitan Stadium/Met Center would be very well served by I-494 and the MN-77 freeway... if they were still around.

[rickmastfan67]

Traffic around Heinz Field and PNC Park is not much of a problem before and after games since there are many options besides driving.  Most people choose to park in downtown Pittsburgh or take mass transit.  Since the subway ends at Gateway Center, people will take the subway then walk across either the Fort Duquesne or Roberto Clemente Bridges.  Work to extend it to the North Side near the stadiums is underway, so eventually it will be possible to take the "T" all the way.  Also the Gateway Clipper provides a water taxi service from Station Square.

For those who park around the stadiums, the terminus of the I-279 HOV lanes are right at the stadiums.  General Robinson Street becomes one-way towards the Seventh and Ninth Street Bridges, another HOV on-ramp at Anderson Street, and PA 28 northbound.  The on-ramp for PA 65 northbound and southbound is next to Heinz Field.

If you want to experience a real tailgating atmosphere, it's hard to beat the parking lot next to Heinz Field.  People are always tailgating whether it is 70 or 7.

Also here in Pittsburgh, you got the I-579(I-279) HOV lanes as well ending right @ the Mellon Arena.  Plus you have direct access to I-579 going in both directions as well.  Getting into the arena from I-579 from the North can sometimes backup, but leaving the arena once you get out of the parking lot, it's a lot easier.  Especially with that direct ramp access to the HOV.

[Marc]

Though it's not an interstate, U.S. 59 goes right by Minute Maid Park here in Houston. If they roof is open, one can see the inside of the stadium.

The Hart Bridge Expressway in downtown Jacksonville also provides a great view of Alltel Stadium there.