Massachusetts State Police are discouraging people from going to Gillette Stadium this weekend to stand outside a Taylor Swift concert if they don’t have a ticket, after that scenario happened at one of her shows in Philadelphia, causing major traffic, police said.
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Swift’s weekend Foxborough takeover will begin Friday, May 19, and continue for both Saturday and Sunday nights.
Police said if a lot of people head to Gillette without tickets, hoping to hear the concert or hang out, it ”could increase traffic and crowd congestion and tax existing resources for concert-goers,” state police spokesman David Procopio said.
“We understand that they want to be near the action, but because doing so would add significantly to the traffic and crowd congestion; we are appealing to the considerate nature and good citizenship of unticketed fans,” said Procopio.
State police will adopt the same tactics the department uses to control traffic during Patriots games, the department said, and will use “contra-flow lanes.” The extra lane taken from the opposite side of the road and going in the “wrong” direction (i.e., towards Ms. Swift, in this case) will improve traffic flow, police explained.
“Prior to the concert, we will take a travel lane heading away from the Stadium on Route 1 on each side, north and south, and temporarily turn it into an incoming lane heading into the stadium,” the department said. “After the concert, we will reverse the process to increase traffic flow away from the venue.”
