The new CYTown parking lots will be ready for football fans Aug. 31. The exception is lot B5, which will be completed once a new McFarland Clinic facility is under construction. Larger image. Graphic by Deb Berger.
Football fans celebrating the Cyclones' season opener will tailgate in some very new parking lots in the CYTown district Saturday. Following 18 months of nearly year-round work, two phases of underground infrastructure and lot reconstruction work are substantially completed.
Crews laid the final asphalt layer in the final lot Tuesday, with striping to follow. A majority of the (concrete) sidewalks in the lots also should be useable this weekend.
"Every day this week will look dramatically different out there," said senior construction manager Nathan Graves, facilities planning and management.
During the three weeks until the next home football game on Sept. 21, he said crews will complete any remaining sidewalks and install additional sod and grass seeding. Trees in the landscaping plan will be planted later this fall.
As passersby may note, lot B5 in the south central part of the district remains undeveloped for now. Last fall, the athletics department announced McFarland Clinic will be CYTown's first tenant, and its intended building site is adjacent to B5. Leaving it undeveloped gives McFarland leaders some design flexibility on heating/cooling options for the facility. Eventually lot B5 will be completed.
The $37.7 million project, the first of a multiphase plan to develop the multi-use entertainment district, provides underground utility infrastructure (stormwater and sanitary sewers, water, electrical and telecommunication lines), new parking surfaces and, with fill dirt, raises areas of the site so buildings and other facilities will be five feet above Ioway Creek's 100-year flood plain. The work this year designated a central north-south, building-ready corridor for future development.
Going to the game
Fans attending the home opener must download the Cyclones app to their mobile phone. They're asked to save tickets and their parking pass before leaving for the game to avoid delays. Fans who used the app last year need to update to the latest version.
Donor and public parking lots open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The spirit rally and Cyclone Walk begin at noon. Gates to Jack Trice Stadium open at 1 p.m. with kickoff against the University of North Dakota at 2:30 p.m. Free parking is available in many campus lots on game day.
Fans are encouraged to wear their cardinal gear to this game.
The athletics department has a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. Allowed bag types are:
- Plastic, vinyl, or PVC clear totes that do not exceed 12 by 6 by 12 inches and do not have a logo larger than 4.5 by 3.5 inches
- One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags (i.e. Ziploc or similar)
- Small clutch bags no larger than 6 by 9 inches
Exceptions will be made for bags containing items required for medical, family or child care.
