CINCINNATI — The city of Cincinnati said Thursday a number of streets around The Banks will close Sunday as the city expects large crowds to converge around Paul Brown Stadium in anticipation of a Bengals Super Bowl victory.
Starting at 6 a.m. Sunday, the following roadways will be closed to traffic:
Elm Street (south of Second Street)
Freedom Way
Race Street (south of Second Street, access maintained to garage)
Rosa Parks Street (south of Second Street, access maintained to garage)
Marian Spencer Way (south of Second Street, access maintained to garage)
Ted Berry Way
Joe Nuxhall Way (south of Second Street, hotel access maintained from Mehring Way)
The city said additional streets will close Sunday evening if the Bengals defeat the Los Angeles Rams.
Race Street (between Second and Third streets)
Walnut Street (between Second and Third streets)
The roads will remain closed until the city deems them safe to reopen.
Capt. Doug Weisman said that the traffic situation will remain fluid. The Cincinnati Police Department may need to close additional roads or change the traffic pattern for a time, if needed, he said.
“We expect a lot of crowds to come down and celebrate at The Banks, so we will be shutting down the roadway south of Second Street,” said Wiesman, who leads CPD’s Central Business Section. He said all garage entrances to the parking garage underneath The Banks will be open except for those on Second Street and Joe Nuxhall Way.
There are roughly 6,000 parking spaces underneath the area around The Banks. Wiesman expects many of those, if not all of them, to fill up over the course of the day. He urged fans to arrive early and to have a “Plan B” just to make sure they don’t run into any issues once they’re downtown.
“Think about what your plan is to get down here and how you’ll get home,” said Wiesman, who handles site and traffic enforcement for special events, including major sporting events and things like Oktoberfest Zinzinnati and BLINK Cincinnati.
The longtime CPD veteran said there’s plenty of surface and parking garage spaces available in other parts of downtown north of Third Street, including the garages Washington Park and Fountain Square. There will also be a watch party at Fountain Square.
The Banks will air the Super Bowl on four large screens – the video board outside Great American Ball Park and three temporary screens set up throughout the 85-acre Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) District. They’ll have one over on the lawn outside Moerlein Lager House, another at the other end of Freedom Way and an additional screen on Walnut Street. All four TVs will have sound.
Tracy Schwegmann, who is in charge of all retail at The Banks, said this is a way to “expand the footprint” of the riverfront entertainment area to accommodate as many people as possible, as safely as possible.
Leadership for The Banks is discussing the possibility of adding additional food booths, beverage stations and pregame entertainment for the Super Bowl, she said.
Besides outdoor spaces, there are roughly a dozen bars or restaurants within The Banks that plan to be open— ranging from fine dining, to casual eateries, to sports bars.
“We have watched crowds flock to The Banks, not only in the bars and restaurants but out in the street... over the last three or four weeks,” Schwegmann said. “It’s been very exciting to watch fans want to be together and celebrate together.”
While they expect a larger-than-usual crowd this weekend, they’re no stranger to large events, Schwegmann said. Her team works with CPD throughout the year on special events like Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. Based on past experiences, she’s fully supportive of the plan to make The Banks “essentially a pedestrian area for Superbowl Sunday.”
Wiesman didn’t say how many officers are scheduled to work on Super Bowl Sunday, but he said staffing won’t be an issue. He plans to work as well and will patrol throughout downtown. Other officers will be “strategically deployed” at The Banks, Fountain Square and Over-the-Rhine, as well as other areas around the city where large crowds will gather.
“We know that there are watch parties scheduled not only down here but out in Mount Lookout, Mount Adams, Clifton and other parts of the city on the west side, the east side, the north side,” he added. The focus, though, will be at “the epicenter” in downtown Cincinnati.
The city plans to open the Regional Emergency Operations Center, which is a collaborative space where city agencies can watch events unfold. They have access to dozens of cameras across Cincinnati, many of which are in The Banks. CPD will also work with other local agencies, including the police departments in Newport and Covington, Ky., to ensure fans remain safe.
Wiesman said there’s an expectation that those taking part in the festivities will exercise a level of personal accountability as well.
“Let’s party and have fun when (the Bengals) win this thing like we are responsible Cincinnatians,” he said. “Let’s keep everybody safe.”
A focal point of Thursday’s conference centered on alcohol consumption, especially around The Banks. Guests can carry alcohol throughout the DORA as long as it’s purchased from an establishment at The Banks and it’s in a designated DORA cup. All outside alcohol is prohibited.
“This is not a BYOB situation,” Schwegmann said. “(If a person) is walking around with an open can of alcohol or a bottle of alcohol, they should expect it to be confiscated and potentially cited for it.”
Wiesman knows fans are going to want to have fun and understands many will consume alcohol throughout the day. He supports people having a good time, but he wants everyone to be smart about it.
“If you’re drinking, do not get behind the wheel of a car yourself. There’s plenty of transportation available,” he said.
The Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar will run until 11:30 p.m., which is two hours later than usual for Sunday operating hours. The streetcar route travels a 3.6-mile loop around downtown – from the northern part of OTR down to The Banks.
CPD will work to ensure the streetcar vehicles can make it down to The Banks at “peak times,” Wiesman said. Though it may be “tricky” to do so at times and delays are possible.
To promote “safe trips to Bengals parties,” Metro announced earlier this week that its bus service would operate fare-free all day Sunday. Service will operate on its normal Sunday/holiday schedule.
Maks are required while on all public transportation, including the streetcar and city buses, per federal regulations.
Uber and Lyft are not allowed to do direct drop-offs or pickups at The Banks, but there are rideshare areas available on Second Street.
Schwegmann said some people are playing it safe and opting to get a hotel room for the night.
“I’m not sure that anybody’s working on Monday and I know kids aren’t going to school either,” she joked."Booking a room and staying the night is a responsible option some folks should really consider."