PITTSBURGH — The NFL Draft will be in full swing on the North Shore and Downtown Pittsburgh in less than two weeks. If you’re going to be looking for a parking spot during that time, brace yourself.
What’s left is getting harder to find and likely more expensive.
At the Wise County Biscuits and Cafe on the Northside, they’ve been preparing for the draft.
“I’m looking forward to showing off the city and seeing people sort of from all over come through and give them a taste of what we have,” Lena Laskaris of Wise County Biscuits and Cafe said.
They’ll have extra staff on hand, but they also have to think about how their staff will even be able to get to work and where they will park.
“Yeah, we’re planning to do a lot of carpooling and some shuttling. I think we might be convincing some people to drive around for us,” Laskaris said.
Parking on the Northside and Downtown will be limited, with up to 700,000 visitors coming to Pittsburgh.
The draft is already taking lots one and two and the Gold One garage outside the stadium for their stage events. It is pushing daily commuters and leaseholders to other spots.
“So there’s a lot of the Northside lots that will be used for the draft itself,” Jerad Bachar with Visit Pittsburgh said.
Visit Pittsburgh has been encouraging people to use public transportation.
If you have to use a car, they suggest using parking apps like Park PGH or Park Wiz.
The apps show several garages already sold out. Spaces left on the Northside start at $169 a day.
Most of those include Pittsburgh Public School lots, which we reported this week will be available at Allegheny, King, Manchester, and Conroy schools on the Northside.
Downtown spots are going for anywhere from $42 to $122 a day.
The closest parking might be the Rivers Casino garage, but they’re charging $250 for day-of parking.
“But the downtown area in the Strip District is going to be the best area for people to park,” Bachar said.
Krista Ruud lives and works along Western Avenue on the Northside.
“The car is gonna stay put for that entire week, especially that weekend,” Ruud said.
She’s looking forward to extra foot traffic and business, but is not planning to do anything that involves driving that week.
“Yeah, me and my boyfriend are already stocking up on groceries because of the traffic, the way people are talking about it, like our roads are just gonna be like non-usable,” Ruud said.
The Gateway Clipper will be running a free shuttle service between Point State Park and the North Shore.
For those taking public transit, a PRT bus fare will cost you $2.75 for unlimited rides for three hours.
If you’re already in the Golden Triangle, the T won’t cost you a dime.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW