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NFL To Shut Streets Around Stadium For Super Bowl

News Channel 8 photo by PAUL LAMISON

Security protocol will likely lead to serious traffic during the Superbowl.

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By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2008

Updated: 12/09/2008 05:53 pm

TAMPA - For all you motorists who thought you'd drive by Raymond James Stadium to rubberneck on Super Bowl Sunday, forget it.

The National Football League will have a security cordon that extends 300 feet from the stadium in all directions for the Feb. 1 game. That means Dale Mabry Highway and Himes Avenue will be closed to most traffic on game day from Tampa Bay Boulevard in the south to about 300 feet north of the stadium. The closings will begin Saturday night, according to Frank Supovitz, NFL senior vice president for events.

The NFL will also close Tampa Bay Boulevard between Himes and Dale Mabry starting Jan. 9 so crews can build the NFL Experience, an interactive theme park. The park opens Jan. 24 for area residents and on Super Bowl Sunday at 11 a.m. for ticketholders.

Martin Luther King Boulevard will be the main access point for ticketholders, media and invited guests on game day. Most of the parking lots for the game will be to the north and west of the stadium.

The 300-foot buffer and other security measures such as an 8-foot wall and concrete barriers are required for Level 1 National Security Special Events. Other Level 1 events include the Olympics, presidential conventions and presidential inaugurations. The security measures were required after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

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