The Vikings yesterday announced their traffic management plan for U.S. Bank Stadium, which stadium GM Patrick Talty hopes will “mitigate cars from driving around the stadium looking for parking,” according to Tim Harlow of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The traffic plan will be "available within the next few weeks" on the stadium's website. Fans will be able to "enter their ZIP code and find directions to the geography-based parking zone that corresponds to the route they will most likely take." Season-ticket holders will have the option to "buy season-long parking while those attending fewer games can buy single-game parking" when those tickets go on sale. The website also provides directions for "taking public transportation, ride share services, bicycles, taxis and other forms of transportation." Talty said that fans "won't be directed to a specific spot, but on the website they will find a list of parking options in each zone." Harlow notes the landscape surrounding the stadium has "changed significantly over the past two years and redevelopment has claimed several surface lots where fans used to tailgate." The team has "secured about 600 spots in lots primarily north of the stadium where fans can set up their spread" ( Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/7 ).
BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES : In Minneapolis, Rochelle Olson notes several black zinc panels on the stadium "came loose" during a storm Tuesday night, and venue officials "were at a loss to explain why." Minneapolis-based Mortenson Construction Senior VP John Wood said that the company is "working with architects," Dallas-based HKS, the sheet metal subcontractor, MG McGrath Inc., and other experts to "understand why the panels are coming loose and how to fix them." The panels are "more than a tangential concern" because the stadium's "exterior walls are lined with thousands of them" ( Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/7 ).
INTO THE MYSTIC : The Vikings have signed Mystic Lake Casino Hotel as their seventh founding partner at U.S. Bank Stadium. Financial terms were not disclosed, but founding partnerships in the NFL are typically valued in the seven figures annually. The multiyear deal covers naming rights for Mystic Lake's Club Purple, an all-inclusive premium space on the club level with lounge-style seating that can hold more than 1,000 people. Mystic Lake is a gaming destination 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The $1.1B stadium opens Aug. 3 with an AC Milan-Chelsea match ( Don Muret, Staff Writer ).
