Family and friends who plan to visit patients in University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics before, during or immediately after Saturday’s Hawkeye football game against the University of Northern Iowa should be prepared for delays.

Kickoff for this Saturday’s game is 2:42 p.m., but pedestrian and vehicle traffic could make travel to, through, and from the area around Kinnick Stadium and the hospital challenging as early as 11 a.m. and as late as 8 p.m.

Hospital and UI Public Safety officials offer several tips for:

• Hospital visitors should consult with the patient about game-day access, as hospital staff provide patients with up-to-date information about home football games and their impact on travel near the hospital.
• Check game times on the Hawkeye Sports website and plan to visit well before the game begins or sometime during the game, when traffic is much lighter.
• Try to avoid arriving shortly before the game begins or at the conclusion of the game as traffic will be the heaviest as fans attempt to arrive and leave Kinnick Stadium.
• For approximately two hours postgame, the hospital cannot be accessed via Melrose Avenue as all lanes are converted to one-way traffic to allow pedestrians and vehicles to move away from the stadium.
• The recommended route to the hospital on game days is U.S. Highway 6 to Hawkins Drive. One lane of Hawkins Drive will always be open to through traffic heading to the hospital before, during, and after the game.

Unrestricted access to the Emergency Department on Grand Avenue is available before and during the game. However, after the game, law enforcement officers will be restricting traffic on Grand at the intersection with South Riverside Drive. People with medical emergencies trying to access the Emergency Department are encouraged to seek assistance from police officers in the area to expedite their arrival at the treatment facility.

Visitors to Iowa City and the UI campus should also be aware that because of an Iowa Department of Transportation project, a lane of Dubuque Street will be closed intermittently at the I-80 intersection (Exit 244) through Oct. 8. Patients and visitors coming to UI Hospitals and Clinics from the east should use Exit 242, First Avenue. Turn left on First Avenue and drive 1.3 miles to 2nd Street (U.S. Highway 6). Turn left again and drive 0.4 miles to Hawkins Drive, turn right and follow the signs.

For more game day tips, see now.uiowa.edu/2012/08/cheer-loud-and-be-respectful.