Fans Should Arrive Early For Saturday’s IU Football Home Opener

As Indiana University prepares to welcome Hoosier Football fans back to Memorial Stadium for a game for the first time in two years, IU Athletics has compiled a series of suggestions to minimize travel and parking issues during the 2021 season.

Due to increased IU Football ticket sales relative to 2019 and the I-69 construction project between Indianapolis and Martinsville, the overarching recommendation is for fans to plan ahead, leave home early, and ultimately arrive at Memorial Stadium early for Saturday’s home opener against Idaho, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. IU Athletics campus parking lots will open at Noon, while the stadium gates will open at 6 p.m.

I-69 FINISH LINE PROJECT

The Bloomington portion of the Interstate 69 project (Section 5) that created traffic issues for the better part of the last five years is complete. All I-69 northbound and southbound lanes and exits in and around Bloomington will be open for Saturday’s game, and pre-and post-game traffic patterns around the stadium have returned to normal.

Football fans coming from the north, though, should plan for to the ongoing I-69 Finish Line project, which runs from Indianapolis to the south side of Martinsville. While State Road 37 remains open, there are a series of lane restrictions, access changes, reduced speed limits, and an official detour through Martinsville that will impact traffic for those who utilize State Road 37.

IU Athletics is paying the Martinsville Police Department to work the streetlights and intersections in Martinsville during the 2021 football season to improve traffic flow and relieve congestion. But in addition to those efforts, we have included a series of resources and recommended travel routes for Hoosier fans to consider.

Waze App

Waze, a community-based traffic and navigation app, will be used to communicate traffic patterns in real-time. Fans are strongly encouraged to download and utilize it during their trip to Memorial Stadium. The app will automatically update the football pre and postgame traffic patterns as they go into effect. Download it here.

Text Updates

Fans can opt-in to the text alert system by texting IUFB to 313131 to begin receiving alerts from IU Athletics.  Only pertinent information surrounding travel, traffic, weather, and emergency situations will be shared on the text system.

INDOT TrafficWise

TrafficWise can be found on INDOT’s website and provides information about traffic conditions, road closures, traffic cameras, travel times, and message boards. Fans can also call 1-800-261-7623 for updates.

I-69 Finish Line Project

The most current information about the I-69 Finish Line corridor can be found on the project website at www.I69finishline.com

Recommended Routes

IU Athletics has worked with INDOT to compile a series of options for travelers coming from the north to consider for IU home football games this fall. In addition to considering these routes, fans are also encouraged to plan to arrive early to minimize the impact of pre-game traffic:

State Road 67 through Martinsville

1. Follow State Road 67 to Martinsville
2. Turn Left onto State Road 39 through Martinsville
3. Turn Right to remain on State Road 39 and merge onto I-69 South to Bloomington

State Road 67 through Spencer

1. Follow State Road 67 to Martinsville
2. Continue on State Road 67 to Spencer
3. Take State Road 46 East to Bloomington

State Road 135 through Nashville

1. Take State Road 135 South through Morgantown and into Nashville
2. Take State Road 46 West to Bloomington

Interstate 65 through Columbus/Nashville

1. Take Interstate 65 South to Columbus
2. Exit on State Road 46 and go West to Bloomington

Interstate 70 through Spencer

1. Take Interstate 70 to US 231 South
2. Continue on US 231 South to Spencer
3. Turn left to follow State Road 46 East to Bloomington

PRE-PAID PARKING ON IU ATHLETICS CAMPUS

If you haven’t pre-purchased parking for the Idaho home opener, a limited number of pre-paid IU Athletics Campus grass lot parking passes remain available by visiting the IU Ticket Office on the west side of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, M-F, 9-5 p.m. Due to the proximity of the Idaho game, only walk-up sales are available, and they must be made prior to Saturday. 

All IU Athletics Campus parking (which includes Gates 2-14 as well as the grass lots south of Memorial Stadium and 17^th Street) is sold out for upcoming games against Cincinnati, Michigan State, and Ohio State. If you haven’t pre-purchased your parking for the Nov. 13 Rutgers or Nov. 20 Minnesota game(s), we recommend doing so HERE if you want to park on the IU Athletics campus.

OTHER PARKING OPTIONS, GAMEDAY SHUTTLE

If you do not pre-purchase parking or it is already sold out, other convenient parking options will be available on the IU campus.

IU Athletics’ free gameday fan shuttle will start Saturday at 5:30 p.m. until kickoff, and resume at the game’s conclusion for an additional 90 minutes. The shuttle’s pick-up and drop-off location is Gate 13, and it will make continuous stops at two on-campus garages that offer free parking for fans – the Poplars Garage (415 East Sixth Street) and the Henderson Parking Garage (310 South Fess Ave.).

Additional parking options for fans to consider include the Luddy School Parking Garage (0.7 miles from Memorial Stadium, $30), the Fee Lane Parking Garage (0.8 miles, $30), and the Henderson Parking East Garage (1.4 miles, FREE).