ASHWAUBENON, Wis. — Part of Mary Lenz's walk with her dog Simba, takes the pair though the neighborhoods around Lambeau Field.
In about six months, part of their route will be the epicenter of the 2025 NFL Draft.
“It’s a mix. It’s interesting having the draft right next to us, but yet uncertain of what it’s going to look like for us come April around here,” Lenz said. “They even project that four weeks before the draft, they’re setting up and how that might look.”
She and Simba live in an area near the stadium that will likely be impacted by the event.
“This will bring a lot more traffic around here, that’s for sure. So, we’ll have to adjust,” Lenz said. “As it gets closer and closer, we’ll have to figure out, ‘Ok, how is this going to look for us now?’”
The draft is expected to bring about 250,000 people to Lambeau Field from April 24 to 26.
Village Manager Joel Gregozeski said the production will span more than just the days open to the public.
“It’ll take about four to six weeks in real, hard, tangible preparation activities for the NFL to be prepared for the actual draft days, those three days of the draft,” he said. “Once the draft has completed, it’ll take another couple of weeks for everything to be restored back to normal.”
He gave some insight as to what residents and local businesses can expect.
“Oneida Street. Lombardi Avenue. Ridge Road. Portions of those are going to be directly impacted by the construction build out and execution of the draft,” Gregozeski said. “Residents, business owners that are going to be in that general area, they should really be prepared to understand those impacts are going to happen. They’re going to be weeks in duration and that they may need to find alternative routes to do the daily activities they need to do.”
“It’s not just a five-hour game day experience; it’s more like 10 to 12 hours a day that traffic is going to be coming and going,” Lenz said.
