Los Angeles officials prepare for Friday’s traffic nightmare – NBC New York
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Los Angeles officials prepare for Friday’s traffic nightmare – NBC New York

Officials in Los Angeles announced plans to ease possible heavy traffic Friday night as the city hosts the World Series and several other sporting events.

Mayor Karen Bass spoke at a press conference along with leaders from the Los Angeles Police Department, LA Metro, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and others Thursday morning.

“LA is ready,” Bass said, adding that Friday is a practice session before the city hosts the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “(The city is) ready to host the World Series, ready to welcome visitors from far and wide and most importantly all set to win.”

Here are the Los Angeles neighborhoods affected by Friday’s events

  • Elysian Park: As the first game in the World Series between Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees starts at 8:08 PM ET. On Friday, tens of thousands of people will fill Dodger Stadium with a capacity of 56,000. Public officials are urging Dodger fans to use Metro to get to Dodger Stadium. Fans must get off the train at the Chinatown station and walk 1.2 miles to the stadium.
  • Downtown LA: In addition to the World Series game, Crypto.com Arena will be filled with basketball fans who Lakers take on the Phoenix Suns.
  • Exposition Park: The USC football team will play Rutgers at the LA Memorial Coliseum at 11 p.m. ET.
  • Inglewood: The East LA Classic between Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School will take place at 9 PM ET at SoFi Stadium. This is one of the biggest high school football games. Also at the Intuit Dome, English musician David Gilmour will perform with the concert beginning at 10:30 PM ET.

Traffic safety

More than 100 white gloves traffic officers will be positions in intersections near the big events.

The city will also deploy 28 traffic engineers for specialized routes, such as the Dodger Stadium Express Lane. They will also make lane adjustments to allow traffic to flow.

The Dodger Stadium Express will start 3 hours before the opening pitch.

And more Dodger Stadium Express buses from Union Station will be deployed Friday and Saturday night, at least every 5-7 minutes. From Harbor Gateway, the Dodger Stadium Express will run every 20-30 minutes, depending on demand.

Everyone who has a ticket to the match can ride the bus for free.

Public safety

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will be on heightened alert and deploying more officers to the streets of LA to increase law enforcement visibility in public places including Dodger Stadium.

The LAPD is acting proactively to protect businesses and ensure peaceful celebrations, according to Chief Dominic Choi.

“Violence will not be tolerated.”

Public transport

LA Metro will run extra service on the A, B/D and E lines on Friday and Saturday evenings. See more information here. And Metro ambassadors will be seen at subway stations, according to city officials.

The Dodger Stadium Express, a free shuttle service, starts 3 hours before the opening slot.

And more Dodger Stadium Express buses from Union Station will be deployed Friday and Saturday night, at least every 5-7 minutes. From Harbor Gateway, the Dodger Stadium Express will run every 20-30 minutes, depending on demand.

Everyone who has a ticket to the match can ride the bus for free.