The traffic nightmare at Kentucky Speedway’s inaugural NASCAR race was unacceptable, and now track officials and the state government plan to do something about it.
Kentucky Speedway Announces Plan To Ease Race Traffic
Kentucky Speedway announced Tuesday morning it has acquired a 143-acre parcel of land adjacent to the track which will increase its parking capacity by 35 percent. Along with the hiring of professional parking attendants and the painting of existing lots to maximize its existing parking areas, officials expect the traffic situation to be better when NASCAR returns next year.
Officials said the track will invest $7.5 million in improvements, with additional money from the state supporting projects such as widening the road near the track.
“We learned meaningful lessons during our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend and we committed that the traffic congestion that occurred on race day would not happen again,” Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Simendinger said. “It was important for us to act quickly and I am thrilled to report this solution, which was formed in only seven short weeks.”
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said the track’s traffic issues were “caused largely by inadequate parking” – a notion refuted by track owner Bruton Smith in July.
Despite pointing the finger at the lack of parking, Beshear still threw his support behind the state’s plan to improve the roads and traffic patterns.
Some of the new plan, as released by the track:
• Improve the Interstate 71 Exit 57 southbound ramp shoulder to allow three lanes of traffic to exit to KY 35 and directly access staggered speedway entrances during event days.
• Improve nearly one mile of KY 35 from the I-71 interchange. Approximately 0.6 of a mile of KY 35 will be widened to five lanes with two full width shoulders to better service two primary speedway access roads and improve daily traffic flow to Warsaw.
• Construct a tunnel beneath state KY 35 to safely and efficiently route pedestrian traffic to shuttles
which transport fans to speedway gates.
NASCAR president Mike Helton released a statement saying the sanctioning body was “pleased” with the plan.
“We’ve been in close touch with the track and its management since July and the significant commitments announced today support the common goal of hosting the most successful events possible at Kentucky Speedway next season,” he said. “We believe improvements like these are necessary in order to ensure that our fans have the opportunity for an enjoyable race experience.”
Will it help get fans back? That part remains unclear.
A sizable number fans from the sellout crowd reportedly never reached the track due to the traffic situation or were turned away due to lack of parking when they arrived. Some vowed not to return next year, but it’s unknown just how much of an impact the negative publicity will have on the 2012 attendance.
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