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Prepare for slow traffic after Saturday's big games
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BATON ROUGE - Saturday is a double kickoff in Baton Rouge, as Southern and LSU both hold their home openers. Both games draw hundreds of thousands of fans, which means many cars on the road in and out of campus. Baton Rouge Police says the fix is contra-flow.
"We will shut down the roadway as far as coming to campus," Lieutenant L'Jean McKneely said. "We don't want people coming on when all those folks are trying to go."
With so many crowding both stadiums, Baton Rouge Police say it's all hands on deck, and they're working with outside police departments to clear the roadways. Part of the strategy for clearing the roads is being ready for whenever folks are ready to head out.
"When we see that people are leaving, and it depends, [if] the game is a tight game, some people stay until the end. If it's a blow out, people tend to leave third quarter after the half time show," Mckneely said. "We just gauge it, and when we see people are leaving, that makes the determination of when we make the decision."
In years past, fans have complained that the contra-flow process takes too long. However, BRPD says it's the best, and fastest way to clear out campus.
"It's worked for us for many years. We've been battle tested as you would say in this process," McKneely said.
Their advice, with thousands of drivers on the road, is to come ready with a a full tank of gas and be patient as police guide fans off campus.
For ride shares and fans waiting to be picked up, plan to wait a few hours.
"With that, you won't be able to leave right after the game," Mckneely said. "They will only be allowed to come on to the campuses after the contra flow has been cleared."
Southern kicks off at six and LSU starts at 6:30 p.m..
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