Posted October 16, 2015
AURORA TRAFFIC AND PARKING MEGA REFERENCE
With the right game plan, getting to Aurora – Powered by Reliant will be a snap. The massive light, sound and performance event starts at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 2 a.m., and we do expect some traffic congestion during peak arrival hours. The organizers of Aurora have developed a sweeping transportation and parking plan to help things move smoothly. The nonprofit AT&T Performing Arts Center worked with the Dallas Police Department, City of Dallas Office of Special Events, and traffic consultants to create the plan, which employs a range of strategies, including street closures, ride-sharing options, carpooling and public transportation.
GETTING HERE
Visitors driving themselves downtown for Aurora are encouraged to carpool and follow the preferred entrance routes listed below. Ride-sharing firms like Uber are also encouraged. But public transportation may provide the most expedient experience, with three DART Rail station and trolley options available.
DRIVING
If you plan to take your own vehicle to Aurora, we strongly encourage you to carpool and ask that you take the routes below to ease travel for you and your fellow Aurora visitors.
Recommended Routes (see map below):
- Use the Griffin Street Exit if you are coming from: I-30 west Of downtown (green route), I-35 north of downtown (red route), and Dallas North Tollway (dark blue route)
- Use the Field Street route into downtown if you are coming from: Harry Hines (orange route)
- Exit Ross Ave. or Live Oak exit if you are coming from: U.S. 75 (magenta route)
- Use the Griffin St. exit if you are coming from: I-35 south of downtown (light blue route)
- Use the Elm St. exit if you are coming from: I-30 east of downtown (yellow route) and I-45 south of downtown (purple route)
The most congestion is anticipated along the Woodall Rodgers Freeway access roads in both directions, Ross Avenue and Pearl Street. We recommend avoiding these roadways if possible.
Street Closures:
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
- Harwood St. between Woodall Rodgers Freeway Access Road and Ross Ave. (Leaving access for outbound Trammel Crow Center garage traffic onto Ross Ave.)
- Flora St. between Harwood St. and Routh St.
- Crockett St. between Ross Ave. and Flora St.
- Leonard St. between Ross Ave. and Flora St. (Leaving access for outbound HALL Arts garage traffic onto Ross Ave.)
- Jack Evans St. between Ross Ave. and just south of the Lexus Red Parking entrance
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
- Olive St. between the Belo Mansion and Trammel Crow Center garage entrances and the eastbound Woodall Rodgers Freeway Pearl St. off-ramp loop around Museum Tower
8:00 p.m. – 5:00 a.m.
- Pearl St. between Woodall Rogers Freeway Access Road and Ross Ave. (Leaving the northbound lane from Ross open for entrance/exit traffic into the Cathedral garage)
Conditional Closures:
- Eastbound Woodall Rodgers Freeway Pearl St. off-ramp loop around Museum Tower (As needed for emergencies or to relieve extreme traffic congestion as advised by DPD)
- Klyde Warren Park Olive St. section (As needed for pedestrian traffic and safety as advised by DPD)
PARKING
Pre-paid parking is available until the day of the event. This will ensure you a spot within the parking lots on the map below. There are also multiple public parking lots around the Arts District.
All pre-paid parking will cost $15 dollars and is available for purchase on attpac.org until 3 p.m. on the day of the event.
Pre-paid parking (Exit North Pearl)
- San Jacinto and Crockett
- San Jacinto and Leonard
- San Jacinto and Federal
- San Jacinto and Fairmount
Pre-paid parking (Exit Ross Avenue)
- One Arts Plaza
Pre-paid parking (Exit North Field)
- North Olive and North Ross
RECOMMENDED: Public Transportation, Cycling and Uber
DART RAIL:
The DART Rail System will take you right into the action, with Orange lines operating until 1:45 a.m. Please note that some lines, including Blue, Red and Green will only run until 12:20 a.m. The Arts District is most easily accessed from the Pearl Street/Arts District and St. Paul Stations (All DART lines) downtown. The Cityplace/Uptown Station (blue and red lines) will feature an Uptown Dallas, Inc.-sponsored Aurora installation by artist Frances Bagley and provides access to the McKinney Avenue Trolley, which will run until 1:30 a.m. For more information, about DART routes and schedule, please visit the DART website.
DART BUS SYSTEM:
DART busses, including D-Link, will be running during Aurora but due to street closures some of the routes will be slightly altered. For more information on the detours, please visit the DART website.
MATA:
The McKinney Avenue Trolley’s M-Line route goes directly through the Dallas Arts District and is free of charge. For the evening of Aurora, the M-Line will run until 1:30 a.m. to accommodate visitors. To plan your route and your evening, here’s a helpful map.
CYCLING
- For cyclists attending Aurora there are multiple bike rack locations.
- Northwest corner of Ross at Harwood (by the DMA)
- Parking lot on Flora, between Olive and Pearl (adjacent to the attendant building)
- One Arts Plaza
- East side of Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre
- West of Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center entrance
- Immediately south of the southwest corner of Olive and Pearl. Rack is behind the Crow Collection of Asian Art garden wall, close to entry to Trammell Crow Center garage
- Dallas City Performance Hall – Jack Evans St. and Flora St. on west side of building; Ross Ave on backside of building
RIDE SHARING
Uber will have a special drop-off and pick-up spot for Aurora on Leonard St. between Ross Ave. and San Jacinto St. Please direct drivers there. As an Aurora sponsor, Uber is offering all first-time riders traveling to Aurora a $20 credit when they download the app or sign up here and use the code AURORA15.