Super Bowl Road Closures and Traffic: Check if Your Route Is Affected This Week

On Sunday, Feb. 8, the Bay Area will host another Super Bowl — where the Seattle Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots in Santa Clara.

But even if you don’t intend to be anywhere near Levi’s Stadium itself on Super Bowl Sunday, the big game — which will draw an estimated 90,000 fans to the Bay, according to the Bay Area Host Committee — will mean not just heavier traffic on the region’s roads overall, but a score of road closures and detours in Santa Clara that have already begun ahead of Super Bowl LX.

And if you’re assuming the worst travel impacts will be restricted to the South Bay, you should know: there’ll be several official Super Bowl events taking place in San Francisco and San José over the next week that will mean street closures and traffic detours in those cities that could affect your commute.

Here are all of the street closures, route changes and anticipated traffic impacts to be aware of leading up to the Super Bowl, what to expect on Super Bowl Sunday itself and which roads will even remain closed well into February in the aftermath of the big game.

And remember: If you need to get around this coming week, especially on Super Bowl Sunday itself, public transit, which is generally less affected by the following traffic closures and detours, may be your best bet.

For the most up-to-the-minute information on road closures, see sfbayareasuperbowl.com.

Heavy traffic on U.S. 101 in Mill Valley.

Jump straight to:

• Street closures in Santa Clara
• Street closures in San Francisco
• Street closures in San José
• What to know about Bay Area airports and the Super Bowl

Traffic around the South Bay — and Bay Area generally — for Super Bowl LX

When: Feb. 8

If you’re wondering, “What time is Super Bowl LX?” Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. PST on Feb. 8. However, gates to Levi’s Stadium open several hours before, at 11:30 a.m — meaning you can expect the traffic from event attendees and dedicated tailgaters to begin on Sunday morning.

As for how long the Super Bowl will last — and when exit traffic will begin — that’s far less clear. A 2017 analysis from The Verge found that in previous years, the average length of the Super Bowl was just under four hours, but there’s no way to predict the exact length of the game.

But regardless of when it ends, remember that the “Super Bowl’s over” traffic won’t be limited to Santa Clara: Wherever you are, the roads and public transit systems will gradually fill up with Bay Area residents leaving Super Bowl watch parties to return home.

Santa Clara street closures around Levi’s Stadium

Stars & Stripes Drive closure

When: Now through Feb. 22

Stars & Stripes Drive outside Levi’s Stadium has been closed since Jan. 5 and will remain off-limits to the public through Feb. 22.

The nearby Great America Transit Station — which serves VTA, Amtrak and Capitol Corridor networks — will remain open, but parking, shuttle and Uber/Lyft pickup and dropoff are relocated to the parking areas at 2111 West Tasman Drive.

• Bike detours in place

Tasman Drive closure

When: Now through Feb.13

Tasman Drive is now closed east of the Great America Parkway through Feb. 13, necessitating several vehicle detours in Santa Clara, including Highways 101 and 237:

• Local and regional vehicle detours
• Expanded local vehicle detour on Feb. 8 

Pedestrians will also face significant detours due to the Tasman Drive closure:

• Pedestrian detour on foot
• Pedestrian detour using VTA light rail
• Expanded pedestrian detour on Feb. 8

Other impacts of the Tasman Drive closure:

• Bike detours in place
• Expanded bike detour on Feb. 8 due to Great America Parkway closure
• Access to the Hilton Santa Clara
• Access to Yellow 1 garage

San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail closure

When: now through Feb. 10

• Pedestrian detour
• Bike trail detour

San Francisco street closures for Super Bowl events

Super Bowl Experience at Moscone Center 

When: Jan. 30-Feb 10

The Super Bowl Experience will be held at Moscone Center Feb. 3-7, and this means several closures in the surrounding area around Yerba Buena Gardens and Union Square:

• Daytime street closures 
• Overnight street closures

NFL Culture Club at The Pearl 

When: Feb. 4-7

This four-day event at Dogpatch venue The Pearl will mean more minor closures.

The Marina: NFL Honors and Studio 60 at the Palace of Fine Arts 

When: Feb. 5-7

Expect closures and (smaller) detours for these two events over the Super Bowl weekend.

BAHC Live! at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and a Super Bowl private event at San Francisco City Hall 

When: Feb. 5-7

The Super Bowl weekend will also bring traffic detours and closures around Civic Center.

Super Bowl private event at Grace Cathedral

When: Feb. 6

Expect minor detours and closures in this patch of Nob Hill.

The Taste of NFL at The Hibernia

When: Feb. 7

You’ll find more widespread street closures in the Tenderloin the day before the Super Bowl for this event.

Private event at the Ferry Building 

When: Feb. 5-7

Expect no parking permitted around the Ferry Building for these three days.

San José street closures around Opening Night

When: Jan. 31 through Feb. 9

The Super Bowl LX Opening Night event will be held Feb. 2 at the San José McEnery Convention Center, which means a whole bunch of closures and route changes around this area. These include:

• Closure of eastbound San Carlos Street …
• … then westbound San Carlos Street closure (Feb. 2) and continues (Feb. 3-9)
• Access to Hilton San José
• Closure of Humboldt Street affecting access to San José University (Feb. 1-7)

Don’t forget the traffic around the Bay Area’s airports

The Super Bowl will be drawing fans from around the United States — and many of them will be flying into San José Mineta International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.

This means you can expect higher-than-usual traffic on the roads around SJC, SFO and OAK in the run-up to Super Bowl Sunday — and after, too. According to an SFO spokesperson, Monday is the busiest Super Bowl-related travel day, as attendees head home the day after the game.

If you’re catching a flight before, during or after Super Bowl Sunday, you should also be prepared for above-average crowds within the Bay Area’s airports — so arrive early to make sure you make it through the TSA security line in time, especially if you don’t yet have a REAL ID.

You may also want to brace for possible flight delays at SJC, too, due to temporary flight restrictions to manage demand.