Buzz continues to build ahead of the NFL Draft being held in downtown Detroit less than two weeks from now.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, along with city officials and transit partners from across the region, announced on Thursday the plans for upcoming road closures and impact in the downtown as preparations for the draft continue.
Downtown road closures began on March 29, and additional roads will be closed each week.
Officials say the road closure schedule was very carefully designed by the City of Detroit and the NFL to ensure minimal disruption to those working and living downtown.
During the draft, which runs from April 25 to April 27, street parking will not be allowed in much of the Central Business District to allow for adequate space for first responders to efficiently and effectively manage any police or medical emergencies.
The Ambassador Bridge and Windsor-Detroit Tunnel will be open throughout the event, but the John C. Lodge in Detroit as well as Jefferson Avenue will be closed and event planners expect traffic will be congested.
The three secure entry points to the 2024 NFL Draft will be located at Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street, Jefferson Avenue and Griswold Street, along with Cadillac Square and Randolph Street.
Speaking on AM800's The Shift, Detroit’s Chief of Infrastructure Sam Krassenstein says not everything will be closed around downtown, but there are two main areas impacted.
"Number one Jefferson is the east/west route, and then Woodward south of I-75 as the north/south route. We're kind of looking at the city on two parts, an east side and a west side. So people approaching the city from the west, we're encouraging them to use the Lodge freeway and people coming from the east or trying to go through the tunnel should definitely take advantage of I-375," he said.
Krassenstein didn't have an exact square footage, but did acknowledge the draft area will cover quite a ways.
"In terms of the area it's going to span all the way from Hart Plaza right along the Detroit riverfront, up Woodward, and into the Campus Martius area into the Monroe block area. So it's quite a large footprint throughout the downtown, covering basically five blocks."
He says they're expecting a couple hundred thousand people over the three days of the event, some of that is weather dependent, but rain or shine they're expecting big numbers.
"Detroiters and people from Windsor are definitely going to turn up to support the Lions no matter what. And we think we're going to get a ton of people coming from different football cities, knowing that within a four hour driving distance we have Pittsburgh, we have Cleveland, we have Buffalo, Indianapolis and Chicago," he said.
The NFL Draft Experience is free for the public to enjoy, and the Draft Theater will serve as the draft's central hub where all 32 teams will announce their picks live and in-person.
Fans who want to take in the experience are required to register for free entry by downloading the NFL OnePass app or online at NFL.com/DraftAccess.
Registration on site via Fan Services staff will also permitted.
- with files from AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides