ATLANTA — With less than five months until Atlanta hosts Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Stadium we are getting insight into the massive public safety and traffic plans for the big event.
As the team hit the field, some 70,000 fans are expected to fill the stands inside the stadium.
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But outside, over what's more like a 10-day event, city officials expect about 1 million visitors to pour into the city.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant learned Friday that the master plan to keep everyone safe and moving is just about done.
“We have the right players around the table. We feel very confident in our plans to date,” Super Bowl host committee vice president of operations and logistics Amy Patterson told Diamant. “We are getting close.”
After 20 months of meetings, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are finalizing a sweeping safety and security master plan, which they'll present to the NFL in early October.
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It’ll cover not just Mercedes Benz Stadium, but the entire Georgia World Congress Center campus and surrounding areas.
“You’re going to recognize and notice a very large security presence in the downtown, midtown and Buckhead area,” Patterson said.
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Most of the specific security strategies will stay secret, but in January Diamant traveled to Minneapolis, which played host for Super Bowl LII.
From the air over a heavily fortified US Bank Stadium to inside the Super Bowl public safety war room, Diamant got an up-close look at the resources brought to bear from high-tech surveillance to boots on the ground.
“We are definitely prepared to be nimble,” Diamant said.
Patterson said over-communication is the key, especially when it comes to tackling traffic.
“In October we’ll start to unveil those traffic plans, those detour routes, and we’ve done everything we can to take into account residents, workers and also the guests that will be attending,” Patterson said.
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Patterson told Diamant that a big part of the transportation plan will be to push people towards MARTA and carpools.
Marta's CEO told Channel 2 Action News on Friday, that he recognizes the agency must provide superior service.
We'll be staying on top of all these developing plans as the big game gets closer and share what we find out with you.
Cox Media Group
