Months of planning and preparation (for teams, fans and organizers alike) culminate today in arguably the biggest U.S. sporting event of the year. Here’s the latest in travel, weather and security for Sunday.
The cold weather everyone has been talking about looks to be a no-show. Instead of a polar vortex, East Rutherford will get a solar vortex. According to the Weather Channel, the temperature in East Rutherford for kickoff looks to be in the mid to low 40 degrees Fahrenheit , with temperatures dropping to the high-to-mid 30 degrees Fahrenheit by the time fans will be traveling back from the game.
The game is no longer expected to be the “coldest Super Bowl ever played,” that honor will likely stay with Super Bowl VI that was held in all places, New Orleans. The temperature at kickoff on January 16, 1972 was 39 degrees Fahrenheit. The Tom Landry-led Cowboys routed the Miami Dolphins 24-3.
Security teams boast they’ve been preparing for the Super Bowl for over a year. The National Guard, FBI, TSA, Center for Disease Control, local law enforcement and more are all a part of this year’s security efforts. The extra cautious prep makes security forces confident: "If you can think of a way to attack an event like this, we're pretty confident we've already thought of it and put a plan in place to mitigate the threat," said one FBI agent to SB Nation.
The cold weather means fans will be bundled up for the game, making pat-down and searches more difficult for security crews. Fans can expect long lines at entry points and eyes on them at all times, even in the bathroom. Security is tight in midtown Manhattan too, where the festivities at Super Bowl Boulevard near Times Square offer a unique security challenge. Expect dogs, guns, helicopters and fighter jets.
Thanks to New Jersey and New York’s robust public transport system, many fans will likely be taking trains and buses out to Metlife Stadium. NJ Transit is expanding service and adding trains to handle the extra volume of travelers. Multilevel trains and extra scheduling are in place to alleviate some of the congestion. NJ Transit has set up special shuttle trains to go between New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station and Newark Liberty International Airport.
As of 1 p.m. ET trains from New York Penn Station heading to Secaucus were packed and fans traveling to the game should expect delays. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. A video from the New York Police Department regarding Super Bowl security can be viewed below.
Super Bowl XLVIII Security Updates: Travel, Traffic And What To Expect On The Day Of The Big Game
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