State Fair + Sports = Triangle Traffic Tieups

The

2001 N.C. State Fair

opened Friday Oct. 12.On the same day, the Charlotte Hornets came to Raleigh to play an exhibition game against the Orlando Magic at the

Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena

.

On Saturday, fairgoers and football fans battled it out for parking as

N.C. State

took on Clemson at noon at Carter-Finley Stadium. People attending the fair could not park at Carter-Finley during the football game.

Duke

hosted Wake Forest in Durham and

UNC

took on Virginia in Chapel Hill on Saturday.

Before the event, Capt. R.L. Hayes of the

N.C. Highway Patrol

warned, "There's a possibility we'll have 200,000 people in a three-mile square area."

Mike Blanton of the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture urged drivers to use common sense.

"Follow all the signage. The DOT's going to have all sorts of variable message signs out there. The State Highway Patrol will be directing traffic at major intersections," he said.

The

Carolina Hurricanes

are playing during the midway madness as well, with games scheduled on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 20. Fairgoers cannot park at the ESA during those games.

As always, the Highway Patrol also reminds drivers that parking will not be allowed along Wade Avenue, Blue Ridge Road, Hillsborough Street, Trinity Road, and Youth Center Road.