Carpooling recommended if heading to Bills games at Highmark

With the final construction push for the Buffalo Bills’ new stadium, parking will continue to be an issue for fans of the team. Andy Major, vice president of operations and guest experience met with media to discuss the current parking situation and more. In addition to the problems from last year, there are some new wrinkles when it comes to parking outside and around the current Highmark Stadium.

Speaking to the media, Major reports that the north end of the lot near where the new stadium is being built (formerly known as Lot 4) was “lost” due to the ongoing construction of the new stadium. Per Majors “That is about 1,000-plus spaces that we’re trying to offset for this season.” That space was popular with the RV crowd, and where a lot of epic tailgating took place.

Major states that the Bills have been working with the county and ECC to use some of their space to help ease that burden. Additionally, One Bills Drive has gotten creative with some of their property, with Major relating “We’ve expanded a little bit of our South lots here, where we removed the house, that was a part of our property for game day staff parking.” Speaking of staff, Major indicated the team has a shuttle service for game day staff, presumably to avoid their cars occupying lot spaces.

That said, Major and the team ask fans to be prepared ahead of time and encourage carpooling. Major felt that fans listened last season and the parking and traffic situations weren’t as bad as they had predicted. Parking at the stadium-owned lots will require a parking pass purchased ahead of time, and Major notes that many private lots outside the team-owned spaces have also started creating permit systems.

As a fan who weathered the chaos last year, I would echo all of the above If you haven’t secured parking at or near the stadium, you might want to make sure you have decent hiking footwear. That’s not meant to scare you though, there’s space but it might not be quite as close as many fans are used to.

Some additional tips:

• Make sure you have snacks and water/drinks in your car, especially if you’re parked closer to the stadium. Traffic flows are also a bit tighter than years past and you could find yourself sitting in the car for long periods of time waiting to hit the road.
• Similarly, make a plan to have a restroom located on the way out. Some private lots will have these set up for fans.
• Be kind and be respectful. We’re all in the same spot.

More information on parking can be found from the team right here, and I’m confident fans will be sharing tips in the comments below.