Detroit Evening Report: Parking costs surge downtown during NFL Draft in Detroit
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Fans wait outside of the draft theater ahead of the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit.
Some downtown garages and lots have jacked up their prices as hundreds of thousands of visitors visit Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Draft attendees have reported seeing parking costs as high as $100 in some areas on Thursday, with rates lowering to $40 at many lots on Friday. Street closures are also complicating the parking situation downtown, and officials recommend pre-arranging parking through apps like Park Detroit and Park Whiz, or taking advantage of the many Park and Ride options in the city, including fan shuttles, the QLINE and buses.
Fan shuttle locations
- WSU Structures 1 (first come, first served), 450 W. Palmer Ave. ($10 per car)
- Bagley Mobility Hub, 1501 Wabash Street. ($15 per car) Prepay here
- River East Garage, 214 Rivard Street. ($15 per car) Prepay here
QLINE
QLINE, Detroit’s free rail service traveling North and South along Woodward Avenue, will operate with short service routes, but higher frequency service during the draft to accommodate anyone parking on Detroit’s north end.
The service runs from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. and stops at Sproat Street by Little Caesars Arena throughout the draft. Visitors will be able to either walk to entrance points down Woodward through Draft Day in the D or can transfer to the People Mover at Grand Circus Park.
Detroit People Mover
Detroit’s elevated rail system is operating 24 hours a day during the NFL Draft, with trains running every five minutes. All 13 stations will be open for convenient travel to and from the draft activity sites, as well as to nearby restaurants, lodging, parking, and easy transfers between DDOT and the QLINE.
The Fort/Cass Station will be the designated location connecting accessible transportation and is the westside transfer and drop-off point for west-side DDOT and SMART buses.
Bricktown Station is the eastside transfer and drop-off point for east-side DDOT and SMART buses.
Bus drop off locations
- Fort/Cass (on Cass) People Mover Station (Close to Entrance 3 and People Mover)
- Bricktown People Mover Station (Close to Greektown)
- I-75 Service Drive west of Woodward by Little Caesar’s Arena (Close to DDP Draft Day in the D)
- South side of Ren Cen (Close to Entrance 1)
Bus layovers
The city has designated the following locations as bus layover locations that allow for easy access to the pick-up & drop-off locations.
- Rosa Parks between Bagley and Lafayette
- W. Lafayette between Rosa Parks and 16th Street
- NB Chrysler Service Drive between Russell and Eliot
- St. Aubin between Vernor and Antietam
View a map of downtown road closures here.
Other headlines for Friday, April 26, 2024:
- If you’re looking for some more draft day experiences check out this offering for kids from Visit Detroit. Corner Ballpark is hosting a variety of youth activities throughout the draft, including football clinics and NFL FLAG skills and drills. A NFL OnePass is required for access.
- If you’re looking for a non-draft experience, check out the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which will present “Country Hits: Songs from Nashville” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
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