Heat Championship Parade Set For Monday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- There will probably be a lot of Heat fans calling in sick on Monday as the Magic City puts on a parade for the NBA National Champions Miami Heat.
For the third time, the City of Miami will host a Parade of Champions for the Miami Heat on Monday June 24.
Parade organizers and city officials met Friday morning to discuss the big event and finalize details.
The parade route will be as follows: everything starts at the corner of SW 8th Street & 2nd Avenue, the parade moves east on 8th Street, then north on Brickell Avenue across the bridge and north on Biscayne Boulevard into the AmericanAirlines Arena via NE 8th Street.
The celebration will end with a rally inside AmericanAirlines arena. The rally at the AAA will be a private, ticketed event for season ticket holders only.
For those who come out to enjoy the parade, emergency management teams want to make sure folks take note of the hot weather and crowds.
Officials estimate as many as 500,000 people may attend and fire rescue officials are concerned about parade-goers getting dehydrated.
"Everyone's excited about the Heat's win and so we expect a large crowd to come so we want to make sure we address all necessary precautionary measures," said Miami Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Ignatius Carroll.
There will be water stations set up along the parade route, just like last year.
Officials at the arena are confident it'll be a great event.
"We did it back to back so that's what's better about this year but we learned a lot last year and I think we have a wonderful blueprint," said AAA General Manager Kim Stone.
All roads along the parade route will be shut down by 8:00 a.m. on Monday.
Passengers taking a cruise are also urged to arrive early. At 11:15 a.m. traffic into and out of the port will shut down for about 45 minutes as the parade passes.
In addition, the celebration will not be played on the big screen outside the AAA because too many people suffered heat stroke during the 2006 festivities.
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Metrorail Service:
- Trains will run approximately every 5 minutes.
- Patrons are encouraged to use the web-based 'Train Tracker' service (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/traintracker.asp) to see when the next trains will be approaching their station.
- Train arrival information is also available at those Metrorail platforms equipped with LCD displays.
Metromover Service:
- Metromover will be operating with additional cars.
Paying Metrorail fare:
- At all Metrorail stations, except MIA, most fare gates will be 'express pay' lanes, where MDT attendants will be collecting the $2 in cash for a one-way fare.
- These 'express pay' lanes will be available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Regular transit customers will still be able to use their EASY Cards and EASY Tickets. Credit cards will be accepted at TVM machines located at all Metrorail stations.
- Parade-bound patrons are asked to bring the exact change in cash as no change will be provided.
Parking:
- Free parking is available at MDT's Park and Ride Lots (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/metrobus-park-ride.asp)
- Parking is also available at various Metrorail stations (http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/metrorail-parking.asp)
- The cost for parking at a Metrorail station is $4 for the entire day.
- Patrons can pay for parking at the "express pay" lanes along with their Metrorail fare. They will be provided with a receipt to show they have paid for their parking.
- MDT advises parade-goers to park at the following Metrorail stations:
- South Miami (5949 Sunset Drive)
- Okeechobee (2005 West Okeechobee Road)
- Douglas Road (111 Ruiz Avenue) - under the guideway
Patrons can exit at the following Metromover stations to reach the various parade locations:
- Brickell
- Eighth Street
- Fifth Street
- Bayfront Park
- College/Bayside
To reach the American Airlines Arena:
- Freedom Tower
- Park West
Metrobus Service:
Due to road closures in the downtown Miami and Brickell areas, several Metrobus routes will be detoured, including routes 3, 6, 8, 11, 24, 48, 77, 207, 208, C and S.
For more information on the enhanced Metrorail and Metromover service, or on the Metrobus routes being detoured, patrons can call 305-891-3131, weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. TTY users can call 305-499-8971.
Transit patrons are also encouraged to visit www.miamidade.gov/transit, or download the free iPhone app 'Miami-Dade Transit Tracker' to help them plan their trip.
