Last week, the installation of Super Bowl City (Market Street and the Embarcadero) and the NFL Experience (Moscone Center) presented challenges for San Franciscans who were trying to navigate in and around the areas. This week, the issue will be as much about the people as the road closures. As in, the million people who, according to NFL estimates, will be descending on the Bay Area for the 50th Super Bowl match and the parties that go along with it.
Sue Hall covers traffic for ABC News 7 and KOIT, and she's been reporting on Super Bowl-related traffic for the past week. Since the big game is on Sunday at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, she doesn't anticipate many traffic problems on 101 this week, with the exception of tonight. The Super Bowl Opening Night event at the SAP Center happens this evening in San Jose, it begins at 5 p.m., and could make roadways crowding during the evening commute hours.
Hall thinks the bigger problems will be in San Francisco in the days leading up to the game. "It's hard to predict, because it's not known how many of the visitors will be in San Francisco and how many will be renting cars," Hall says. "However, I think the beginning of the week—until Wednesday—could be the toughest traffic days, especially around Super Bowl City and the NFL Experience."
"It could be rough as people start to come into town, especially in the early part of the week when people are figuring it all out," she says.
Hall says that her best advice is to telecommute if you can. If you can't, "It's better to leave early to allow for crowded streets and public transportation," she says. She also suggests checking in with Waze or 511.org.
You can also find updates and maps at San Francisco Municipal Traffic Agency's dedicated Super Bowl page.
· 10 Things You Need to Know About SF's Super Bowl City [Curbed SF]
· Super Bowl Gridiron Gridlock Starts Today [Curbed SF]
· Getting Around During Super Bowl 50 [SFMTA]
· ABC 7 News Traffic [ABC News 7]