Hoover Police Prep For Hoover/Thompson Game Traffic

HOOVER, AL - The Hoover Met will be packed Friday night, as one of the biggest match-ups of the high school football season in Alabama is happening - with Hoover taking on Thompson. This event is expected to draw thousands of fans, and Hoover police are preparing for the extra traffic.

Related Story: Hoover And Thompson Swap Places Atop Polls

According to a release by the Hoover PD, additional officers will be on duty beginning at 3:30 p.m. to assist with incoming traffic and to provide extra police presence at the stadium. Traffic will be continuously monitored with officers stationed at nearby intersections. The release said that some fans may find it easier to enter and exit the area via South Shades Crest Road and Brocks Gap Parkway.

Other officers will be stationed inside and outside the stadium for increased police visibility and to maintain a safe environment for all fans. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

Below are a few tips from the Hoover PD to help make traveling to and from the game safer and more stress-free:

1. Plan to arrive early. Attendance numbers will be big! The atmosphere incredible! If you normally head for the game around 6:00, that may not be early enough for this game. Depending on driving distance, we encourage fans to head for the stadium as early as 4:30 or 5:00 p.m.
2. Please be patient, give yourself plenty of time and drive safe.
3. Please don’t text and drive.
4. Please don’t drink and drive.
5. Always use seatbelts and child safety seats. Seatbelts save lives!
6. If you’re involved in a minor accident and the vehicles can be safely pulled to the shoulder, please do so.
7. Parking is $5.00. Please have correct change if possible to help speed up entry to parking areas.
8. If necessary, overflow parking will be made available at Bumpus Middle School, with buses to provide free shuttle to the stadium.
9. Traffic will be extremely heavy after the game. Please be patient and arrive home safely.
10. Parking lots open at 4:30, gates open at 5:30, kickoff at 7:00.

Photo by David Sibley/Submitted by Hoover PD