The first Cyclones football game inside the new Citizens Bank Stadium this Friday is sure to draw a large crowd.
And, with large crowds typically comes traffic congestion.
That is why school officials have come up with a parking plan to help control the large amount of traffic expected on Bemberg Road Friday night.
Before the game, parking will be split up into two groups. Individuals who have purchased a parking pass will be able to park in the reserved parking area in the student parking section. The school has sold roughly 400 parking passes and there are about 60 left for purchase, according to school officials. The passes cost $50 and will guarantee the purchaser a parking spot during all home games in the reserved parking area. There will also be a non-reserved parking area at the corner of Bemberg Road and Elk Avenue. The non-reserved parking area will be comprised of roughly 65 spots and will be first come, first served. The two parking lots will open at 5:30 p.m.
With this being the first home game in the new stadium, problems may arise, but school officials are working hard to make things go smoothly, EHS Athletic Director Mike Wilson said.
“We are doing the best we can,” he said. “It is a whole new thing, and we hope people will have patience and understanding. We will learn as we go.”
Those are not the only options for parking Friday night. The Northeast Community Credit Union and the Elizabethton Kiwanis Club are partnering up to provide parking for the game. For a donation to the Kiwanis Club, game-goers can park at the main NCCU office at 980 Jason Witten Way. Kiwanis volunteers will be on hand to supervise the lot.
“We are always looking for opportunities to help our community,” NCCU President and CEO Kathy Campbell said in a press release. “By providing a space for the Kiwanis Club, they are able to raise money that will be used to make a bigger impact in the community.”
The Elizabethton Kiwanis Club will be offering the parking option at NCCU for each EHS home football game.
With construction still ongoing, regardless of where someone parks, individuals will have to use the front entrance to the stadium, Wilson said. There will not be a back entrance.
When leaving the parking lots at the school, individuals in the non-reserved spots will have to turn left onto Bemberg Road toward Elk Avenue, while individuals leaving the reserved spots will have to turn right onto Bemberg Road toward Jason Witten Way and West G Street.