Fans of Trans-Siberian Orchestra regarded the group's concert last December in Grand Forks as top-notch. The pre-concert traffic jam at the Alerus Center was another story.
Traffic into the Alerus parking lot before the 2007 TSO concert was so backed up that some cars were at a standstill on Interstate 29 as they waited to take the off-ramps to get to the Alerus. Some said it took them more than an hour to drive the last mile to the concert.
With Trans-Siberian Orchestra set for a return concert Sunday, Alerus officials and the police haven't forgotten the heat they took last year from concert-goers with a serious case of road rage.
This year, they say, they have a plan that includes eight police officers assigned to direct traffic and one supervisor assigned to monitor the traffic situation from the roof of the Alerus Center.
Traffic jams are a rarity in Grand Forks, even when big events come to town, so what happened at the TSO concert last December? In some ways, the traffic jumble seemed like a perfect storm of wintry weather, concert-goers perhaps unfamiliar with Alerus traffic and parking, and no one to direct motorists and help them sort it all out.
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"It was kind of a mixture of things. I think it was the weather," said Sgt. Jeff Burgess of the Grand Forks Police Department. "It was one of the first events where people had to pay for parking at an after-dark event. There were a lot of people from out of town."
This time, police will have eight officers assigned to traffic control and the priority will be to move inbound vehicles into the Alerus parking lot quickly and safely.
Despite last year's problems, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert set for 8 p.m. Sunday has been selling well. Tami Pearson of the Alerus Center offered some tips for avoiding and preventing a mad rush to this year's event.
- Come early. Doors at the Alerus will open at 7 p.m.
- Carpool when possible.
- Pay attention to the police officers directing traffic.
- Use two turning lanes to enter and exit the Alerus Center parking lot from both the south and the north.
- Remember, it costs $5 to park at the Alerus. Have the correct change ready for the parking attendant when you pull into the lot. Each vehicle will receive a permit to display to show it has paid to park.
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"We are trying to be proactive and get the word out," Pearson said.
Reach Tobin at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134; or send e-mail to ptobin@gfherald.com .
