by Hank Brockett and Ted Slowik
7/16/01
"They should have additional routes out of here, especially if they're going to be adding seats," said Robo Kress of Milwaukee.
"It's like organized chaos. There's a lot of people directing you, but there's nowhere to go," said Kress' wife, Jen.
Schweitzer Road was a one-lane, crawling mass of vehicles three hours right after the end of Sunday's race.
While Joliet police Cmdr. Fred Hayes said traffic Sunday night was heavier than after Saturday's race, he maintained that, "It's flowing out at a normal rate."
"It's a well-oiled machine," Hayes said of the operation to clear the parking lots following the race. "It's moving out smoothly in a steady flow of traffic."
Most fans were patient and well-behaved, said police directing traffic.
All told, authorities handled only a few minor incidents Sunday.
One lost boy was reunited with his father; a pedestrian was struck by a car exiting the facility, but wasn't seriously injured; two golf carts collided, but again, no injuries reported, police said.
Joie Chitwood, Raceway Associates' vice president and general manager, has said the facility will add several thousand seats per year, eventually getting up to 150,000 if all goes as planned.
Grandstands identical to the 75,000-seat structure on the west side of the 1.5-mile track could be built on the east side.
Chicagoland Speedway's architect, Kansas City-based HNTB, designed the facility with an ultimate capacity of 225,000. Someday, the north and south rims of the track also could be filled in with stands.
If track owners expand the speedway, then roadways leading from the facility will have to be widened, fans said.
Officials credited the weekend's success to agencies that assembled a traffic plan after gridlock plagued an 'N Sync concert at Route 66 Raceway a year ago, forcing some fans to miss the show.
"This just slammed the 'N Sync nightmare away for good," said Hayes of the Joliet Police Department, shortly before the start of Sunday's Tropicana 400.
Traffic in
Traffic-control officials started the day earlier, assembling on the roof of the 15-story speedway and watching the flow of vehicles on nearby roads through binoculars.
By 7:30 a.m., the right lane of eastbound Interstate 80 was already crawling between Illinois 53 and Midland Avenue.
People who came early avoided the worst of the delays.
"Our guys were amazing and insightful. If there was a pressure point, they would release it," said Deputy Chief William Fitzgerald of the Joliet police. "There was a bit of bobbing and weaving. We did some things that were and weren't in the traffic plan."
At the peak of the crush, it was still only 45 minutes from Arsenal Road and I-55 to the parking lots, he said.
Fans offered mixed reviews of the traffic situation.
One man made it from Naperville in an hour at mid-morning by taking Illinois 59 to U.S. 52 to Illinois 53. Another complained that it took four hours from Downers Grove following the prescribed interstate routes.
"The traffic was not as bad as I thought it would be," said Steve Sussman, who left his home in Zion with his wife, Pam at 6:30 a.m. and parked by 9 a.m.
Two Indiana men said they encountered nothing but clear roads on their trip to the speedway Sunday.
"Excellent," Rich Unger said of the journey. His friend John Barton added, "Easy."
The men bypassed the interstates to take U.S. 52.
While they had success traveling, Unger and Barton did not make out so well in their attempt to pick up a ticket on race day. They ended up standing on the wrong side of the fence near the north side turn.
Traffic out
When fans first streamed out of the stands in a mad rush to get to their cars Sunday, Bob and Amy Birch knew better.
On Saturday, it took the couple from Appleton, Wis., two hours to travel 100 yards in a vain attempt to leave.
So instead of sitting in the car with little movement, they sat underneath the grandstand at a picnic table enjoying a nice breeze.
"It's a super facility, but just terrible, terrible, terrible traffic," said Bob Birch.
Many others shared the Birches' strategy.
Thousands of fans stayed back, eating dinner from the food vendors and enjoying some post-race tailgating in the parking lots.
The departure withstood several minor accidents in the parking lots, and the roadways outside the track were heavy with vehicles, but still moving.
"All that planning for the traffic has really paid off," Hayes said. "We accomplished the goal we set out for, which was to get everybody in to see the race."
Police departments from surrounding towns, along with sheriff's and state police, working in conjunction with city police, were able to carry out the traffic plan.
Security guard Randy Smith said he was feeling fatigued after his stretch of 14-hour days, but did not have to deal with any major trouble.
"The only (problem) was people fainting from drinking too much early in the morning."
The crowd was generally well-behaved, Smith said.
"It's family-oriented now," he said.
Hayes deemed the weekend successful security-wise.
"We had a very orderly crowd," he said. "For sporting events, the racing people handle themselves very nicely," Hayes added.
"It's a whole different crowd. You go to some other Chicago sporting events -- I can remember when you couldn't go to a Blackhawks game without seeing a dozen fights."
"It's amazing how we all came together for this event, and I look forward to future events," Hayes said.
"The people of Joliet can be proud of this facility.They now have a nationally recognized sporting venue. It's really put Joliet in the spotlight, and we shone."