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Going to the Rocky Mountain Showdown? Here's what you need to know about traffic and parking

Posted at 4:14 PM, Aug 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-31 17:18:56-04

DENVER – The Rocky Mountain Showdown is this Friday but it’s not the only thing that’s happening this weekend, so if you’re planning to go, you better plan ahead as parking and traffic are for sure going to be a nightmare.

Kickoff for the long-standing tradition between the CU Buffaloes and the CSU Rams at Broncos Stadium at Mile High is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., but fans are encouraged to plan ahead due to several events happening across town for Labor Day weekend.

Parking

Parking lots will open at 3:30 p.m. – four hours before the start of the game. Fans with pre-purchased parking permits are asked to arrive by this time to purchase cash spaces in Lots M and N south of Colfax.

Tailgaters arriving early will be told to back their vehicles up into the parking spaces along the perimeters of the parking lots, where fans can use the adjacent landscaped areas (grass hills, gravel, etc.) to tailgate, rather than occupying parking spaces they don’t have permits for, Seth Medvin, a spokesperson for the Denver Broncos Football Club, said a statement.

For those without a pre-purchased parking permit, you’ll be asked to park at the Pepsi Center or the Auraria Campus. However, you won’t be allowed to tailgate on the Aurora campus parking grounds.

Getting here

CU fans are arriving from I-25 are encouraged to follow one of three routes:

  • Exit I-25 at Colfax Avenue. West on Colfax to Eliot Slip Ramp or Federal Boulevard.
  • Exit I-25 at 8th Avenue onto Zuni. North on Zuni.
  • Exit I-25 at 6th Avenue at Federal Boulevard and head north to Howard Place or Dick Connor.

CSU fans arriving from I-25 are encouraged to follow one of three routes:

  • Exit I-25 at 20th/23rd Ave. (EXIT 211) and follow the ramp South to three way stop at 20th and Mile High Stadium Circle.
  • Exit I-25 at Colfax Avenue. West on Colfax to Federal Boulevard. North on Federal to 20th Avenue.
  • Exit I-25 at 6th Avenue. West on 6th Avenue to Federal Boulevard. North on Federal to 20th Avenue.

RTD will also be providing bus and rail service to and from the Broncos Stadium at Mile High for the Rocky Mountain Showdown, “with more transit options than ever,” Medvin said.

Fans will have direct service to and from the game with bus service from several locations in the metro area, the Federal Shuttle or the C, E and W rail lines. For those heading downtown before the game, new services to Union Station are available on the Flatiron Flyer, the University of Colorado A Line and the B Line. From there, it is a quick transfer and trip to the stadium via the C, E and W Lines. For more information about RTD services that day, click here

If you're going to Uber, make sure you use the stadium's post-game rideshare pickup location off Federal Blvd. and 17th Ave.