JACKSONVILLE, Fla -- One of the city's largest economic drivers is officially getting under way. The Georgia-Florida game is this Saturday, but fans are already flocking to the River City.
Mayor Alvin Brown says the event has a $20 million economic impact. But the weekend is about so much more.
"Both teams have a lot to play for," said Jacksonville's Sports and Entertainment Director Alan Verlander.
The fans will have even more to do this week as the stage is set for number two ranked Florida to take on number 10 ranked Georgia.
RV City doesn't open until Wednesday morning but the line is already forming and the party isn't waiting either. Lester Revels and Drew Creswell have an RV divided. Half their crew are Gators, the other half are Bulldogs. And they're all trying out the RV City experience for the first time.
"It actually makes it better because there's the animosity going on amongst us," said Revels.
Police will be out in force making sure the fan animosity doesn't go too far. Help will be ready around every turn, too.
"We will have safety zones established for fans to find water and charge their cell phones," said Mayor Brown.
As for game day, JSO has one big request: get to the stadium early. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. for a 3:30 p.m. start and at that point, the focus switches from traffic to pedestrian travel.
"There's no secret route to the sports complex there's no road that gets under utilized. The key is to come early and if everyone comes five hours before kickoff then we can assure you that you can get into that seat on time for that great game," said JSO Assistant Chief Leonard Propper.
As for parking, Propper says there is a limited number of general admission spots at the stadium and they will go fast. But a new lot with 2,000 spots is available this year at the FSCJ Downtown campus. For $7, you can park there and get a ride to the stadium. Propper also says there will be electronic boards all around the stadium, helping drivers figure out which lanes to be in for each parking lot.
Plus, officers will be tweeting about the traffic situation all day Saturday. Game day twitter will be on @jasopio, #flvsga and the city's twitter account too. And
here is a link to more important game day information from JSO.
