Super Bowl Organizers Think Traffic Flow
By KEN KALTHOFF
Updated 10:15 PM CDT, Tue, Feb 9, 2010
Super Bowl organizers don't want traffic woes to tie up next year's event in North Texas.
The North Texas officials spent the past week in South Florida at this year's event. North Texas leaders said they saw several signs of weakness in this year’s South Florida performance, including transportation.
The Tri-Rail system links South Florida cities much the way the Trinity Rail Express does in North Texas.
Both rail transit systems do not directly serve their local football stadiums.
South Florida offered a 20-minute bus connection to the game from the closest Tri-Rail station.
But North Texas intends to move Trinity Rail trains to a freight track that runs much closer to Cowboys Stadium for game day next year, with a temporary station constructed near the field.
Transportation planner Michael Morris, of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said it is just one example of the Metroplex's superior transportation plan for the Super Bowl.
The North Texas visitors also found that street traffic in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area can be very slow.
“They don’t have a lot of redundant capacity,” Morris said. “With all the beautiful oceans and waterways, they’re handcuffed with regard to it. One breakdown on the interstate highway can create a lot of problems.”
As he stood beside a Fort Lauderdale Beach traffic jam, Dallas visitor Patrick Moore said North Texas must do better and make "sure that it’s going to run clearly -- the way you want it to run -- as opposed to what we see here."
Tickets scalping was also one of many issues the North Texas leaders observed in South Florida.
On streets all around South Florida, people claimed to have Super Bowl tickets for sale before the game.
“I suspect there will be people all over North Texas with tickets, trying to sell them,” said Arlington Police Chief Theron Bowman. “Some may be legitimate, some may not be.”
Other Super Bowl visitors included people who came without game tickets, but hoping to enjoy events such as the NFL Experience, an interactive exhibit open during the week before most Super Bowls.
Terry Morris drove 300 miles from St. Petersburg, Fla., with his family looking for it, but found no such event at the South Florida Super Bowl the Saturday before the game.
“I was bringing my sons down here to enjoy the NFL Experience,” Morris said. “It’s very disappointing.”
The North Texas Host Committee is planning an extensive NFL Experience exhibit to be held during the week before Super Bowl 45 at the Dallas Convention Center.
And other events are planned all around the North Texas region.
“We’re going to bring an enthusiasm and excitement to it,” Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert said.
Leppert said North Texas' goal includes beating South Florida in the race to be chosen for future Super Bowls. Miami has hosted the Super Bowl 10 times.
“We want to have a great Super Bowl for the first opportunity, but we really want to be in the rotation," he said. "We want to see the Super Bowl come back time and time again."
Get More: Super Bowl XLV Host Committee North Texas
First Published: Feb 9, 2010 9:59 PM CDT
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