BART to Limit Service at Downtown Stations for Warriors Parade, Rally

BART is expecting huge crowds on Friday before and after the Golden State Warriors’ victory parade in Oakland and is making some adjustments to service. The parade to celebrate the Warriors 4-2 series victory in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers will begin at Broadway and 11th Street downtown.

The parade will start at 10 a.m., going north on Broadway before turning right on Grand Avenue, then right on Harrison Street to Lakeside Drive, which becomes Oak Street. There will be a rally at the base of the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center on the south end of Lake Merritt after the parade.

Spectators can start staking out their spots along the parade route or for the rally at 5 a.m. Every available BART train will be running that day, with as many cars added to each train as possible. But to avoid crowded train platforms, there will be limited service at downtown stations after the rally, BART officials said.

Once the rally ends, passengers heading toward the Fremont or Dublin/Pleasanton stations will have to board at the Lake Merritt station. No San Francisco- or Richmond-bound trains will stop at Lake Merritt, according to BART. Passengers heading toward San Francisco, Richmond or Pittsburg/Bay Point will have to board at either the 12th Street or 19th Street stations, BART officials said.

Previous Warrior coverage on Patch:

• Crowds Celebrating Warriors Victory Boisterous But Not Destructive
• Celebrate #DubNation: Parade and Rally For NBA Champs, The Golden State Warriors, On Friday
• Golden State Warriors Win First NBA Title in 40 Years
• Bay Area Preparing For Celebrations, Possible Riots If Warriors Win
• Show Us Your Warrior Pride!
• Warriors Claim Western Conference Championship: What Fans Are Saying Online
• Steph Curry Named NBA MVP
• Hundreds of East Bay Residents Wait in Line for Shot at Meeting Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry

BART officials hope the changes will keep station platforms from getting extremely crowded, but if platforms do become too congested, access to particular stations could be temporarily suspended. BART is recommending that riders avoid peak commute hours if possible, purchase round-trip tickets in advance, not to bring bikes that day and avoid driving to BART stations if possible as parking may fill up quickly.

By Bay City News