NFL Draft in Detroit: Buses, trams, shuttles - here's your complete guide to getting to the draft
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The NFL Draft's arrival in Detroit is stirring the local economy - and putting pressure on the city's capacity for the expected surge of visitors coming to Michigan for the event.
With hundreds of thousands of guests populating Detroit in late April, the city is encouraging locals to use public transit to get downtown. Driving to the city and finding a space to park may seem easy, but it will quickly become inconvenient as spots fill and roads close.
For those planning on attending, the best advice is to plan ahead. The NFL Draft will take place April 25-27, beginning at noon on Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Both the QLINE and the Detroit People Mover will be free to use and make getting around the primary NFL Draft areas easy.
For those coming from out of town, the SMART bus option will offer an hourly shuttle service from Oakland, Macomb, and southern Wayne counties. There are other bus options for those coming from the airport and Ann Arbor.
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If someone does choose to drive and park, pre-paying for a spot will be the best option.
"Don't just wing it," said Sam Krassenstein, the city's chief of infrastructure, during a Thursday press conference.
Here are your options for getting to the draft:
SMART options
SMART is metro Detroit's public bus service that stretches out into the suburbs of Southeast Michigan.
Buses will run hourly and shuttles will cost $2 per ride. For a complete schedule of SMART shuttles, tap here.
There are also three FAST shuttle routes that stretch from outer metro area to downtown Detroit. The include:
- FAST Gratiot, which goes from Chesterfield to downtown. See the map here.
- FAST Woodward, which goes from Great Lakes Crossing to downtown. See the map here.
- FAST Michigan, which goes from Detroit Metro Airport to downtown. See the map here.
The best way to use the SMART bus system is to drive to one of the bus stops with parking access, then travel downtown via the shuttle.
- Great Lakes Crossing, 4000 Baldwin, Auburn Hills
- Lakeside Mall, 14000 Lakeside Circle, Sterling Heights
- Mt. Clemens Farmers Market, 141 North River Road
- Sterling Heights Meijer, 36000 Van Dyke Ave.
- Troy Civic Center Park and Ride lot, 520 W. Big Beaver Road
- Oakland Community College Orchard Ridge Campus, 27055 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills •
- Southfield Civic Center bus terminal, 24350 Civic Center Drive
- Westland Police Department, 36701 Ford Road
- Fairlane Town Center, 18900 Michigan Ave., Dearborn
- Lincoln Park Community Center, 3525 Dix Hwy.
- Southgate Meijer, 16300 Fort Street
SMART shuttle routes in metro Detroit.
Detroit People Mover
The Detroit People Mover will be free to use and all stations are open. Trains will run every five minutes and service will be running for 24 hours.
The people mover stations that are closest to entrances to the NFL Draft Theater and the NFL Draft Experience are in the financial district and the Millender Center.
- The Financial District stop is located at 133 W. Larned, between Shelby & Griswold St.
- The Millender Center stop is located at 333 E. Jefferson Ave., Inside the Millender Center
Find a guide to the People Mover stops here.
QLINE and Detroit People Mover routes around downtown Detroit.
QLINE
The QLINE runs along Woodward and will be an important navigation tool since the main roadway will be closed to vehicle traffic.
Trains are expected to run every 10 minutes and the closest drop-off spot to the NFL Draft locations is at Sproat Street, near Little Caesars Arena. From there, people will need to walk south on Woodward.
It'll take about 25 minutes to get to the entrance at Hart Plaza, where the NFL Draft Experience is held. This is the only entrance on the west side of Woodward.
Find the transit option's schedule here.
QLINE is using a similar park & ride format that SMART is taking advantage of, directing people to four different parking lots before getting on the tram. Parking will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis for $5 a vehicle. They include:
- WSU Lot 12 – Harper & Woodward - near the Amsterdam station
- New Center Garage – 116 Lothrop - near the Grand Blvd station
- Cass Garage – 6540 Cass Ave - near the Baltimore station
- John R & Piquette – 6230 John R. - near the Amsterdam station
Fan Shuttle Service
To help accommodate the number of people, there are three different "Fan Shuttle" services offered around Detroit. Anyone interested in using them is recommended they pay ahead of time.
The three locations where the shuttle will run are:
- WSU Structures 1, 5, and 2 (first come, first serve) - 450 W. Palmer Ave - $10 per car
- Bagley Mobility Hub, 1501 Wabash Street (prepay recommended) - $15 per car. The link to prepay can be found here.
- River East Garage, 214 Rivard Street (prepay recommended) - $15 per car. The link to prepay can be found here.
Regional Transportation Authority
The Regional Transportation Authority will also be helping with getting people from further away into the city. That includes two coach-style bus options, one that comes from Ann Arbor and one that offers direct service from the airport.
D2A2
D2A2 offers $6 rides between Ann Arbor and Detroit, stopping at Grand Circus Park during its downtown stop. They'll offer 16 non-stop rides every day, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Detroit Air Xpress
A pilot program that RTA introduced earlier this year, riders can take a coach-style bus to and from Detroit Metro Airport to the Rosa Parks Transit Center downtown.
Tickets are $6 for those that plan ahead and the bus stops at both terminals at the airport.
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Parking in Detroit
The city has come up with a guide for when drivers should arrive and how much they can expect to pay if they plan on parking in Detroit. Pre-pay parking is recommended for all of these options as there's little chance spots are still available when the draft begins.
The map below will help people plan ahead where they should park and how soon they need to arrive.
For the area in red around the draft staging spot, people should arrive by 10 a.m. No street parking is available in this area.
The second area in yellow is on the opposite side of I-375 and wraps around downtown along Cass Avenue. People eyeing this spot should arrive no later than noon.
The last area, shaded in green, where people will find many of the Fan Shuttle Lots that provide bus access to the draft entrances, stretches north between I-75 and The Lodge (MI-10). People should arrive by 3 p.m.
Places to park in Detroit for the draft. Pre-parking is recommended while shuttle service will be offered around the city.
Road closures
The reason driving to Detroit isn't recommended is because of the road restrictions; there will be a lot.
That includes Woodward Avenue and Jefferson, which will be closed. The last exit drivers will be able to use on M-10 will be West Jefferson.
The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel will remain open via I-375 and Jefferson.
For a complete breakdown on what roads will be closed and when closures begin, check out our closures guide here.