Baseball is a slow game compared to most sports, but the action inside Coors Field will seem positively breathless on Friday next to the logjam created by tens of thousands of fans streaming into Lower Downtown for the Colorado Rockies’ home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Long before the first pitch at 2:10 p.m., LoDo bars and restaurants will throw open their doors with as live bands, street vendors and others add to the circus-like atmosphere. That also means congestion around the sold-out Coors Field (capacity 50,000), with slower traffic, less parking and other headaches for downtown workers and visitors.
The a high of 68 degrees with mostly sunny skies and a slight chance for thundershowers on Friday afternoon, with calm wind from the east/southeast around 6 mph.
In terms of street closures, the big one to watch all weekend will be Blake Street between 20th and 22nd streets — the most heavily walked route into Coors Field — according to a spokeswoman for Denver’s Office of Special Events. Expect those blocks to be shut down at 9 a.m. Friday and reopened after pedestrian traffic clears in the afternoon, likely after the game ends. (They also shut down three hours before most games in general.)

The Rockies’ annual Opening Day Fest returns to 21st and Blake streets with family-friendly activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, which will draw fans to that corner. The city is not reporting any other major closures or detours for the weekend, but if you’re familiar with GPS-driven smartphone apps such as Google Maps or Waze — both of which provide real-time traffic information — keep them handy.
Whether or not you’re going to the game, it’s helpful to know Coors Field will open its parking lots at 9 a.m. Friday. That means heavier-than-usual traffic flowing into the lots through at least noon, when the ballpark officially unlocks the entry gates. Parking traffic is expected to follow along along the main routes of 22nd Street or Park Avenue, to and from the nearby I-25 and I-70 interchanges.
(A and B) can be entered at 22nd and Wazee streets, 27th and Blake streets, or 33rd and Blake streets. Avoid those intersections if you’re worried about backed-up cars at the tail end of morning rush hour, or the early part of the afternoon rush.

Parking is sold out online but still available by calling the Rockies parking line (303-762-5437) or paying on-site. Be warned that off-site, home-opener parking can run as much as $50 in the private and surrounding surface lots, while on-site parking starts at $17.
Rockies officials expect the longest waits outside Coors Field to be the opening pitch. For the home-opening weekend, there will be an additional ballpark entrance on 20th Street between Gates D and E (which also opens at noon), according to the Rockies, making for seven total.
Even with fans increasingly using light rail, bike and ride-sharing services, foot traffic in the area will be near-constant over the weekend as the Rockies play the Dodgers through Sunday. Expect nearby RTD routes, and the light-rail lines that serve the 16th and Stout station (the closest stop to Coors Field) to run slower than usual. That’s particularly true of the D, F, and H lines and Union Station, which welcomes the A and B lines. And don’t forget about the pedestrian thoroughfare of the 16th Street Mall and its free, day-long Mallride, which ferries people between Civic Center Station and Union Station.
Cyclists will likely stream toward gates A and E at Coors Field, where bike parking is offered, and across 22nd and Blake streets, so keep your eyes peeled for wobbly two-wheelers.
Numerous ongoing construction projects have eaten up sidewalks, shoulders and bike lanes throughout downtown and the nearby River North Art District, including a massive project underway in the former “west lot” bounded by Wazee and Wynkoop streets and 19th and 20th streets. As ever, be patient and give yourself time to get around while keeping an eye on Denver’s famously brazen, unapologetic jaywalkers.
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