By Audrey Valenzuela | Staff Writer
As the basketball season begins, Baylor is preparing for another year of high attendance at the Paul & Alejandra Foster Pavilion — that means parking options to accommodate all the attendants.
With expectations for sold-out crowds much like in the venue’s debut season, the university and the City of Waco collaborated to address the traffic and parking challenges caused by increased visitor numbers.
Paul Cain, transportation planner for the City of Waco, said this collaboration’s goal was to create a system that not only meets the demands of large crowds but also integrates smoothly with the surrounding city infrastructure.
To manage these issues, Baylor has enlisted the help of Kimley-Horn Engineers. The transportation and infrastructure firm has experience managing parking for large venues such as the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
“It is a collaborative effort, but we rely heavily on the Baylor team to ensure the plan meets the needs of attendees, athletics, etc.,” Cain said.
Brent Ingram, Baylor’s senior associate athletic director, explained the importance of preparing for peak attendance, especially given that the first season at Foster Pavilion saw sold-out crowds for nearly every men’s basketball game.
Baylor has already made investments in expanding parking options, including the addition of the River Front Garage, which is walking distance from the Pavilion. This garage is expected to provide parking capacity for up to 450 visitors.
Ingram said the university’s expanded shuttle service is a key part of the plan to mitigate congestion, offering fans a convenient alternative to parking in overcrowded lots near the venue.
“We offer a shuttle service from several unique locations, including from the free downtown parking and the free Ferrell Center lots,” Ingram said.
This shuttle service will help fans park in less crowded areas further from the venue and still arrive quickly for the game, which should reduce pressure on the lots closest to Foster Pavilion.
Clear communication will also be essential to ensuring that visitors are well-prepared for the parking and traffic conditions on game days. Ingram said that parking details will be widely disseminated through Baylor Athletics’ official social media channels, email updates and the BaylorBears website.
By providing this information in advance, the university hopes to alleviate confusion and ensure fans know where to park before they arrive at the game. This proactive approach also aims to streamline the parking experience, allowing visitors to plan ahead and avoid delays.
Baylor has taken steps to ensure that the parking needs of local residents are not overlooked during events at Foster Pavilion. The university is directing visitors to designated public parking areas and providing shuttle services to reduce the impact on residential streets.
“No residential parking in downtown is impacted by the Foster Pavilion parking,” Ingram said. “Our parking information guides guests to public parking availability only.”
This approach ensures that while the university accommodates visitors, the parking needs of Waco residents are protected during peak times.
