LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A $270 million renovation project at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is moving forward as scheduled, USC officials said today, but fans planning to attend Trojan football games during the upcoming season need to prepare for some changes.
Most notably, fans are being encouraged more than ever to use public transit or carpool to games. Construction work at the Coliseum and at the site of the future Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts has eliminated all parking on the west side of Exposition Park between Vermont Avenue and Bill Robertson Lane.
Parking lots 4, 5 and 6 south of the Coliseum are all reserved for pass holders, as are the south lawn of the Natural History Museum and the Exposition Park visitor parking structure east of the stadium, USC officials said.
That means people driving to the stadium without passes are being urged to park on the USC campus and walk to the Coliseum. Those lots will open at 6 a.m. on game days, but they will cost $25 are spots will be available on a first-come, first served basis.
The elimination of the Exposition Park parking lots also means a reduction in tailgating space. Tailgating will be permitted as usual on the USC campus, but large groups must reserve a spot. There will no longer be a pre-game tailgating event at Galen Center, but the Trojan Fan Fest will be held on Christmas Tree Lane.
Construction work will also limit some pedestrian access to certain sections. There will be no east-west access between tunnels 5 and 9 on the concourse level or outside the south walls on the street level. Game tickets will include a suggested gate for fans to enter the Coliseum.
In short:
-- fans in sections 1-3 and 33 should enter through Gate 1;
-- fans in sections 4-7 should use Gate 4;
-- fans in sections 8-12 should use Gate 8;
-- fans in sections 13-19 should use Gate 19;
-- fans in sections 20-24 should use Gate 23; and
-- fans in sections 25-29 should use Gate 28.
The renovation project, which is being funded by the university, is scheduled to be completed next year. When it is completed, the venue will be known as United Airlines Memorial Coliseum. The project will reduce the Coliseum's seating capacity from 93,607 to about 77,500. Seating capacity for the upcoming football season will be 78,467.