Columbia braces for traffic as Gamecocks face Oklahoma and State Fair visitors converge.COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia is preparing for a busy Saturday as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on No. 14 Oklahoma at Williams-Brice Stadium, just steps away from the South Carolina State Fair.Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m., and fair gates open at 11 a.m., meaning thousands of fans and fairgoers will be arriving around the same time. Matt Laschuma, the State Fair’s director of security, says the overlap could cause heavy traffic a...
Columbia braces for traffic as Gamecocks face Oklahoma and State Fair visitors converge.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia is preparing for a busy Saturday as the South Carolina Gamecocks take on No. 14 Oklahoma at Williams-Brice Stadium, just steps away from the South Carolina State Fair.
Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m., and fair gates open at 11 a.m., meaning thousands of fans and fairgoers will be arriving around the same time. Matt Laschuma, the State Fair’s director of security, says the overlap could cause heavy traffic and packed parking lots.
“We have to get through that day,” Laschuma said. “There’s 80,000 people over there, maybe 30,000 to 40,000 over here, all in that one packed-in area.”
Laschuma says the fair and the University of South Carolina have worked together to coordinate traffic and security plans.
“We’re not sitting around a room in a dark basement somewhere conspiring to have this happen at the same time,” he said. “It’s not something that’s beneficial to the university or us, but we’ve learned to work together over the years.”
Even Oklahoma fans in town for the game are getting in on the fun early at the State Fair.
“We’re trying to find some free parking and then walk to the stadium,” said OU fans Josh Wilson and Jacob Garza. “We’ve paid enough money at the fair, so we’ll be all right with free parking.”
Unlike previous years, fans will not be allowed to tailgate in the fair parking lot. Still, many Gamecock fans say they’re ready to celebrate elsewhere.
“We’re gonna party,” said Columbia native Ladin Williams. “We usually tailgate here, but we’ve got another spot down the road because of the fair.”
Others, like USC Aiken graduate Morgan Blanchard, plan to arrive early to beat the rush.
“I’ll probably get out here closer to 8:30 or 9 o’clock just to beat a lot of traffic,” Blanchard said.
Officials are urging anyone heading to the game or the fair to give themselves extra time and expect significant delays throughout the day.