2024 NFL draft in Detroit: Road closures to begin Friday, unfold in phases
The road closures for the NFL draft will start weeks before the event draws an estimated 300,000 people to Detroit in late April.
In fact, they’ll begin Friday in the heart of the draft action and roll out in six different phases, which will include planning for Detroit Tigers games that weekend.
On Tuesday, in a white tent in an area near the recently demolished National Theatre Building where the NFL draft theater will be built, Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials who have worked to plan the festivities discussed progress at the “30 days out” mark. The draft is scheduled April 25-27, and the official footprint stretches from Campus Martius to Hart Plaza, although the impact will extend beyond that area.
“Starting Friday, you won’t be able to drive north on Randolph near the (old Wayne) county building. Monroe, Farmer, Bates, this whole section, the roads will be closed off,” Duggan said.
Outreach to area businesses has already happened, Duggan said.
'People who work down here are just going to have to be patient'
“Those of us who work downtown — of course I worked a block away for a good part of my career — you’ll end up parking where you always park and you’ll end up navigating around the perimeter. Somebody who drives down on Saturday, you’ll find a little bit more roundabout way to get to Greektown, but other than that, for the next week or so it should be about the same,” Duggan said.
However, the road impacts to key corridors will ramp up after that. Woodward, for instance, will be fenced off at some point and parts of Jefferson will close.
“Now, (in) a week or two we’re going to be closing down Jefferson because we’re going to be building out the NFL Experience down at Hart Plaza, and people who work down here are just going to have to be patient, but I know they’re looking forward to the excitement," Duggan said.
Those coming into the city for the draft events are being encouraged to consider park-and-ride options, such as those that the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is planning to offer from Great Lakes Crossing, Oakland County Community College and several Meijer stores.
More: NFL draft: New service details released about Detroit public transit options
Here are the road closure phases, according to a map from the Detroit Wayne Joint Building Authority (all tunnel traffic is directed to use Interstate 375 during Lodge and Jefferson closures):
Phase 1 (Draft theater build), 9 a.m. March 29-11:59 p.m. May 7
Randolph Street between Macomb and Fort; Farmer Street; Monroe Street; Bates Street; Cadillac Square westbound
Phase 2, 9 a.m. April 8-11:59 p.m. May 5
Closures for Campus Martius/Cadillac Square build, includes parts of Woodward and eastbound Cadillac Square
Phase 3 (Hart Plaza build), 12 a.m. April 15-5 a.m. May 6
Jefferson Avenue; Bates Street; Atwater Street
Southbound M-10 (Lodge), full closure at West Jefferson(Exit 1A: open); Larned ramp (Exit 1B: open)
Phase 4, 6 a.m. April 20-11:59 p.m. April 30
Woodward from Larned to State (transit lane open on Larned and Congress, except from 8 p.m. April 23-6 a.m. April 29)
Phase 5, 6 a.m. April 25-11:59 p.m. April 27
Extended road closures, including farther north on Woodward to Grand Circus Park area, for red carpet, pedestrian safety and city activation.
Southbound M-10 (Lodge) full closure at West Jefferson(Exit 1A: open); Larned ramp (Exit 1B: closed);
Phase 6 (Tigers games), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 26 and 3-11 p.m. April 27
Roads around Comerica Park
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2024 NFL draft road closures announced for Detroit: What to know
