As many commuters know, parking in downtown Cincinnati is harder to come by amid construction for the Brent Spence companion bridge project.
That’s not just an inconvenience for work — it limits options for Bengals fans looking to tailgate the first preseason game on Aug. 13.
Lot 1 and Lot A near Paycor Stadium will have “capacity reductions” on Bengals game days, according to the Bengals website. Both lots are north of the stadium near the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
Lot 1 has 927 parking spaces and will be closed until the bridge project is completed, which the Ohio Department of Transportation expects will be 2033. The south side of Lot A across Central Avenue is also closed, but the lot is partially open for parking and tailgating.
“The Bengals have held all available parking spaces for impacted [season ticket holders] and have remained fully committed to advocating to local and regional officials for additional parking options,” Bengals officials said on their website.
Hamilton County spokesperson Bridget Doherty said the county is leasing parking spaces for Bengals season ticket holders to use on game days in the Longworth Hall parking lot from the Ohio Department of Transportation. In the past, fans have also used that lot for tailgating.
How will this affect tailgating?
Jim Foster, who has hosted the “Bengal Jim and friends” tailgate since 1993, said he anticipates more fans from the northern lots joining his tailgate this year.
“We had dozens of folks from Lot 1 reach out to us and say, ‘You got room for us?'” he said.
Foster hosts his tailgating events in Lot E near Smale Park and rents half of the park to accommodate the 2,000-5,000 people he said come, depending on weather and how the team is performing.
Foster said tailgating is key to the football fan experience.
“There’s really nothing like it anywhere in the world,” he said. “People hanging out with each other from all different walks of life. Pre-game, they have fun talking about the one thing they have in common that day in their lives and that’s the Cincinnati Bengals.”
When is the first preseason game?
The Bengals play the Detroit Lions at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13 at Paycor Stadium.
Hamilton County reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Your favorite Bengals tailgating lot may be closed this season
Reporting by Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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By Erin Glynn, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
