Game Day: Parking, Hawkey Express and More

Aug. 28, 2008

IOWA CITY – Fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes can avoid traffic congestion and a shortage of parking near Kinnick Stadium by taking advantage of parking facilities in downtown Iowa City, where shuttle buses will provide easy access to Kinnick Stadium; at Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville where they can take the Hawkeye Express train; or at 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 places will be reserved for fans with reserved parking privileges. Just as important, athletic officials note, the parking permits do not guarantee a spot.

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. The train begins 3 hours before game time and resumes at the end of the third quarter for 90 minutes after the game. 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.
  • $10 parking for automobiles is available at Hospital Ramp No. 4, the Finkbine commuter parking lot (Hawkins Drive), the Finkbine Golf Course with parking permitted on the 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 $20 charge for recreational vehicles and a $30 charge for cruiser buses.
  • The Alcohol Free Lot (Lot 14) is available to the public.
  • 2F Recreational vehicle parking will be located in the Finkbine Commuter Lot for a cost of $20.
  • Friday night parking is allowed after 7 p.m.

Beginning two hours before game time, 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 about 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, cooking fires, and grills are permitted ONLY in lots and are prohibited in parking ramps. 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. Fans in possession of containers of hard liquor will be required by officers to pour it out and will be issued a citation.

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 pedestrian traffic becomes heavy.