Heading to Arrowhead for the Chiefs-Texans playoff game? What to know about traffic
Fans heading to Arrowhead Stadium Saturday for the Kansas City Chiefs-Houston Texans AFC divisional playoff game should remember they are not alone — tens of thousands of others will be there, too.
“What they should be prepared for: 80,000 people in 22,000 vehicles all trying to do the same thing at the same time at the same place,” said Sgt. Grant Ruark, operation sergeant in the traffic division of the Kansas City Police Department.
“We all get wrapped up in our individual goals and objectives, and we don’t realize that there are thousands and thousands of other people in vehicles all trying to do the same thing.”
Ruark said a playoff game typically isn’t any different traffic-wise from a regular season game. Police try to maintain consistency with the regular season, so people attending games should anticipate the same environment.
“The stadium only holds so many people, the lots only hold so many cars, they only sell so much parking,” Ruark said. “So it’s a standard operating procedure because nothing really changes for playoff games.”
There is a “method to the madness,” Ruark said. Police will have traffic control at the gate with officers. Meanwhile, parking lot attendants will be in the same place.
Jill Bruss, area engineer for Jackson County with the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Kansas City District, said she was expecting the playoff traffic to be similar to regular season games. That means there will be increased traffic on Interstate 70 and Interstate 435.
With the game taking place late Saturday afternoon, there traffic will be slightly heavier than the typical Sunday traffic, she said.
What time should you leave for the game?
While Ruark couldn’t suggest an exact time people should leave for the game, with the Kansas City area’s sprawling suburbs and fans coming from outside the immediate area, he could suggest what they shouldn’t do.
“I can tell them when they shouldn’t leave,” he said. That is an hour before the 3:30 p.m. kick-off.
“If they live in a Kansas City suburb and they’re going to try to leave their house an hour before game time, they’re probably going to experience some frustration,” Ruark said.
Typically, fans arrive for Chiefs games in three waves.
Ruark said the initial wave consists of the hardcore tailgaters who are there hours and hours before game time. Once the gates are open, they rush in to find their favorite spots.
The second wave comes about two hours before kick-off.
“If you’re not a hardcore tailgater that goes out there every week, you want to be in that middle group as possible,” Ruark said.
The last wave comes about 30 minutes before kick-off. That’s when the last 10 to 15% of the fans arrive, and there’s a push to get them off the road and into a parking spot. This group of fans left home “way too late,” Ruark said.
“What they don’t want to do is be in that last 10 or 15% of the people trying to get into the stadium,” Ruark said. “Again, parking becomes a premium. So the earlier they can get there, the earlier they can be in the queue to get through the toll booth, the better.”
Prepare before you go
For those who don’t attend many games, Ruark suggested they prepare before they leave home. The Chiefs website provides information for those attending the games.
“Do your research before you get to the stadium and it provides a much more pleasant experience,” Ruark said.
Bruss echoed that advice, saying people should plan their route ahead, which will lead to less frustration. She also suggested that drivers check traffic cameras on KC Scout’s website as well as use the app Waze for real-time traffic updates.
“That’s going to add to less frustration on your drive,” Bruss said.
MoDOT will have it’s emergency response vehicles that will be out and in the area watching for any incidents that pop up. Their goal will be to clear any incidents as fast as possible.
“Plan your trips and Go Chiefs!,” Bruss said.
Traffic control outside the stadium
Drivers will encounter police doing their usual game day traffic control assignments once they pull off of Interstate 70 and Interstate 435 near the stadium, Ruark said.
Kansas City police traffic control officers will be in place four hours before kick-off. That’s an hour earlier than for a regular season game.
“We moved them up one hour in anticipation, hopefully, of having a very early crowd arrive,” Ruark said.
There will be between 35 and 40 officers outside the stadium on the roads and highways and at the gates, trying to get people into the sports complex. These officers are different from those who work security inside the parking lots and the stadium.
“A lot of times, people will quibble over what gate they go in or what lot they park in,” Ruark said. “Keep an eye on the ultimate goal, which is to see the game.”
Police will be working to get them off the road, into a parking spot and into the stadium as quickly as they can, Ruark said. Drivers’ cooperation is appreciated.
Ruark offered “big props” to the Kansas City Public Works and Missouri Department of Transportation for getting roads around the stadium clear of the the snow just after the New Year.
“Given all the inclement weather we’ve had, they have done a great job doing that,” Ruark said. “The Chiefs have made sure that the lots are as clear as absolutely possible.”
MoDOT has been working with the Chiefs to make sure all of the ramps that serve the stadium are clear, Bruss said.
“We’ve got a plan to check for refreezing and have a crew ready to get out and treat if we see refreezing on any of our ramps or routes that lead to the stadium,” Bruss said.
The concern is that warm temperatures on Friday will cause melting along which could refreeze overnight.
How quickly will you get home after the game?
When people leave the game, Ruark advises them to make sure the person driving is sober.
“Understand that, again, everybody is trying to do the same thing at the same time,” Ruark said. “If they approach the egress with some patience, they’ll have a better experience.”
Generally, police can have the stadium cleared within 1 1/2 hours from the last tick of the clock.
“It’s generally 85 minutes, which is amazing considering there’s 20,000 to 22,000 cars out there, all trying to do the same thing,” Ruark said.
If it is a lopsided game, some fans leave early which gives police a little bit of an advantage. But the Chiefs have had some very close games this year, which meant people stayed in their seats until the end of the game.
“Usually in a playoff game, everybody’s in their seat for the last minute,” Ruark said.
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 3:01 PM.
