LSU announces football parking, traffic and gameday reminders

BATON ROUGE – LSU opens its 2018 home schedule on Saturday at 6 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana and fans coming to the game should expect some changes around campus highlighted by the addition of the recently opened Nicholson Gateway Development and state improvements made to Nicholson Drive.

The new Nicholson Gateway Development, located just west of Tiger Stadium off of Nicholson Drive, has brought exciting new elements to campus life. In addition to apartment-like living for over 1,500 LSU students, the development is also home to Matherne’s Market and Starbucks with more retail shops and eateries coming in the near future.

With the addition of the Nicholson Gateway Development and the state’s restructuring of Nicholson Drive between Burbank and West Chimes Street, fans should be aware of new parking lots, traffic flow patterns, as well as the re-naming of Nicholson Extension to South Quad Drive.

The following is a quick guide to some of the changes fans can expect when coming to campus for LSU football games this fall:

Parking
There are several new reserved lots within the Nicholson Gateway Development. Lots 109 and 110 are reserved and are located within the development. Those fans parking in Lots 109 and 110 must access these lots from Skip Bertman Drive.

Access to Lots 103, 104, 105 and 106 along Nicholson Drive
For fans parking in Lots 103, 104, 105 and 106 – the Nicholson Drive improvements have modified medians and curbsides and could possibly change how you enter your lot. Directional signage along with police officers will direct fans parking in Lots 103, 104, 105, and 106 on the quickest way to enter each lot.

Lot 103- Guests heading South on Nicholson will be allowed to U-turn at the end of the median before the North Stadium light.

Lot 104- Guests heading South on Nicholson will be able to access lot 104 through the U-turn/ turning lane in the median. The entrance directly across from the opening in the median will be open in addition to main Lot 104 entrance that we used previous years.

Lot 105- No changes. Guests will continue to enter from West Chimes

Lot 106- A new entrance will be created inside lot 105 that will allow guests to enter through the lot 105 entrance on West Chimes and access Lot 106 from the backside. A ramp is being created in the first 2 parking spaces along the main drive in lot 105 that will facilitate this.

If you have specific questions regarding any of these parking lots, please call the customer service phone line at 225-578-4085.

Fans are reminded that no parking is allowed along Nicholson Drive. Parking lots on campus open at open at 7 a.m. on Saturday. New for 2018 – LSU will begin a graduate process of scanning parking permits for select lots this year. Fans should have their permits ready for the attendant to stub/scan upon entry to the lots.
Parking In Lot 407 Currently Available
Parking in Lot 407 (corner of Skip Bertman and River Road) for games against Southeastern Louisiana ($20), Louisiana Tech ($20), Rice ($20), Ole Miss ($40) and Mississippi State ($40) is currently available for purchase. Fans can purchase permits for Lot 407 in advance at www.LSUtix.net or they can be purchased on gameday by credit card. Parking in Lot 407 opens at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Fans are reminded to check www.LSUsports.net/gameday for updates as availability can change by game.

Free Parking Available
Free parking for Saturday’s game will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the following areas: Hayfield, Levee South, Gourrier South, LSU Golf Course and the old front nine off of Burbank. View the 2018 LSU Football parking map at www.LSUsports.net/gameday.

More Reminders
For safety concerns, street parking will still not be allowed on Nicholson Drive/Highway 30 and Burbank Drive south of Skip Bertman Drive. Tailgating is still allowed in the grass areas adjacent to Nicholson Drive, however, vehicles will not be allowed to park in this area. Fans tailgating in these areas are encouraged to use the Old Front Nine free parking lot.

ADA Parking In Lot 409
Free ADA parking will be available in Lot 409 (Hall of Fame Lot at Alex Box Stadium) with a shuttle running starting five hours before kickoff. Patrons must show a state issued hang tag for access to this lot.

Traffic
Pedestrian Buffer Zone on Nicholson between North Stadium and South Stadium Drives
A pedestrian buffer zone will remain in effect on Nicholson Drive for fans exiting Tiger Stadium heading west. Nicholson Drive between North Stadium and South Stadium Drive will have no post-game vehicular traffic. Traffic will be forced north and south at these streets with no cross traffic allowed. This operation will allow fans to cross Nicholson Drive without competing vehicular traffic as well as assisting with the forced directional exit in the parking lots around the stadium.

Post-Game Traffic
LSU will enforce directional exiting from all parking lots. Please be patient, drive safely, and listen to the instruction of the law enforcement officers assisting fans with exiting into the correct post-game direction. Be sure to review directional routes and review all post game guidelines at www.lsusports.net/gameday.

Lyft Rideshare
Lyft is the official rideshare partner of LSU Athletics. Drop off and pickup locations are located around the perimeter of campus.

Fans are always encouraged to arrive early and to carpool when possible to help reduce the number of vehicles on campus. Fans are also asked to reference www.LSUsports.net/gameday for parking updates, suggested routes to campus, and other gameday related information. Fans should be aware that the LSU campus is closed to thru traffic until 5 p.m. on Fridays.

LSUSports.net/gameday
The hub for everything gameday is www.LSUSports.net/gameday, which is a mobile-friendly website dedicated to educate fans on all policies and procedures that relate to LSU athletic events, in particular football games.

Fans are encouraged to follow @LSUsports and @LSUgameops on Twitter for pregame and postgame traffic and parking lot alerts.

LSU TO IMPLEMENT METAL DETECTOR “PILOT PROGRAM” IN 2018

BATON ROUGE – Metal detectors will be used at select gates at Tiger Stadium this year as part of a pilot program that will help LSU prepare for the Southeastern Conference mandate of full stadium coverage by the year 2020, the school announced Wednesday.

LSU’s plan is to have full stadium coverage by 2019, a year ahead of the SEC requirement of full stadium coverage. This year, LSU will have 15 metal detectors in use at gates 23-28 on the south side of Tiger Stadium for every home game.

“Providing a safe environment along with creating a great fan experience is what we are striving for,” LSU communications director Michael Bonnette said. “This year’s pilot program using 15 metal detectors gives us an opportunity to educate our fans on what the process will be like when entering Tiger Stadium in the future. This process is similar to what every other school in our league is doing.

“Our goal is to have a metal detector plan in place at Tiger Stadium in 2019, to provide full coverage and be in line with other SEC schools.”

Fans are reminded that LSU’s Geaux Clear Bag Policy remains in place for Tiger Stadium this year and that the metal detectors are there to add another layer of security.

The following are some reminders about the metal detector process at Tiger Stadium as well as the Geaux Clear Policy:

New for 2018: Metal Detectors
The 15 metal detectors will be located on the south side of Tiger Stadium at Gates 22-28. Fans entering the stadium through Gates 23-28 will be instructed by event staff members on the metal detector process which is as follows:
Step 1: Bag inspection
Step 2: Remove cell phones, cameras and any other large metal objects
(Note: shoes, belts, keys, jewelry or small metal objects don’t have to be removed)
Step 3: Walk through metal detector
Step 4: Retrieve items that were removed prior to entering metal detector
Step 5: Get ticket scanned

Those fans with medical issues should notify security prior to going through the metal detectors where they will then be directed to the Medical Inspection Gate located at Gate 10 at the southwest corner of Tiger Stadium. Fans should be aware that any items deemed as a weapon (pocket knives, multi-tools, etc.) will be confiscated at the gates will not be returned. Those items should remain in their vehicles or left at home. For a complete listing of prohibited items in Tiger Stadium, go to www.LSUSports.net/gameday.

Geaux Clear – LSU’s Clear Bag Policy
LSU’s clear bag policy – Geaux Clear – will once again be in place for all athletic home events in 2018-19. Fans are reminded that diaper bags (unless they are clear) are not allowed in Tiger Stadium. Backpacks are not permitted in Tiger Stadium. LSU’s clear bag policy allows for only clear tote bags smaller than 12” x 6” x 12” or one-gallon plastic freezer bags to be permitted in Tiger Stadium. Small clutch purses (no matter color or transparency), with or without a handle or strap, are permitted as long as they are not larger than 4.5″x 6.5. Seat cushions with no pockets and no larger than 16” are also permitted. Fans are encouraged to travel light. For a complete list of prohibited items in Tiger Stadium and other athletic venues go to www.LSUsports.net/geauxclear or call LSU Guest Services at 225.578.4085.

TIGER STADIUM WITH GREAT NEW FOOD ATTRACTIONS TO GO WITH FOOTBALL

There is an old commercial that had something about “food, glorious food.”

LSU Concessions has all that “food, glorious food” and more this year at venues throughout Tiger Stadium.

Now the old favorites have not gone away. Oh no, your peanuts and popcorn and hot dogs etc., are still there and ready for you, but there are going to be some interesting items that will be for your enjoyment and Larry Wallace, director of LSU Concessions, sent me a list of some of these new samplings.

The newest addition is “The Chute”, which will be unveiled on Saturday when the Tigers take on Southeastern at 6 p.m. The Chute will be open to any fan 21-years of age or older with a game ticket. It is located on the south side of Tiger Stadium and will allow fans to purchase beer and food with a giant-screen HD video board and numerous HD televisions.

Admission to The Chute is $20 a person and includes two beverages. Food service will be provided by Burgersmith which will have their Smith burger for purchase along with alligator sausage po’boys and fried okra. There will also be Papa John’s Pizza available in the area as well.

Burgersmith will also be available in the South lower area of the stadium.

On the Westside of Tiger Stadium, look for the new “Kitch Concept” area which will feature a full grab and go shopping area, similar to what you have seen often in airports, offering vegan options, Big Squeezy Juices and an abundance of other offerings, including fresh acai bowls. Big Squeezy will also be selling their offerings in the lower South area.

In the South upper area, the cooks will be working with the fryers available in that area sell fresh fried seafood baskets and chicken tender baskets. Firehouse Subs will be available in the South, East and West sections of the stadium with Italian subs, turkey subs and those fresh made fire house sub brownies.

Also in your search for the quintessential LSU concession items how about these – The new Tiger Tot Tower – a load of tator tots covered with Bar-B-Q pork, hot cheddar cheese and green onions. Then there is the newest thing to come to the West upper area – Spiral Pizza. Think pepperoni and cheese pizza served in a pizza-crust shaped cone.

What should be a nice line time-saver is that there will be 10 refill stations in the stadium allowing fans with a refill sticker on their souvenir cup to get their refill without going back to a concessions stand. Fans will also be allowed to purchase drinks in these areas.

There will be some concession favorites kicked up a notch this year including foot-long Coney Corndogs and Bayou Poppers made with fresh Kettle Corn. Along with the traditional sausage po-boy is the “swamp” sausage dog which is a traditional Manda Sausage po-boy covered in peppers and onions.

Finally, for a little dessert after tailgating before heading in to the stadium, how about the Beignet Box. This will be located outside across from gate 22. The Box will be making fresh beignets and coffee and there will be a seating area. And, if you miss the beignets outside, stands inside the stadium will offer beignets by the Beignet Box.

So there you have it. To paraphrase, its football, glorious LSU Football to go with food, glorious food. Enjoy the game!