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Avoiding game day traffic

Hi We are going from Columbus, OH to Bay City MI on a football game day. Our route takes us up 23. If we tried to get through around 2:00 would that avoid some of the traffic? The game starts at 12:30

Or is there a better route around Ann Arbor?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Traveling from Columbus, OH to Bay City, MI on a University of Michigan game day means you’ll encounter heavy traffic, especially around Ann Arbor and the I-23 corridor leading north. Since your game starts at 12:30, most fans will already be en route or parking in the morning, and traffic tends to peak from around 10:00 AM to shortly before kickoff.

Here are some key points and suggestions:

  • Passing through Ann Arbor around 2:00 PM would generally mean you are after the morning game-day traffic, but consider that if the game is over around 3:30 PM, you could then encounter outbound traffic depending on your return route. Since you’re heading north to Bay City, you would likely avoid the heaviest congestion if you pass through after the stadium clears in the afternoon.
  • If you leave earlier in the morning, you would hit the pre-game inbound traffic, which is often heavier and slower due to fans heading into town, stadium parking queues, and road restrictions near the stadium.
  • Alternative routing: instead of staying strictly on US-23 through Ann Arbor, you could consider using M-14 to I-96 to bypass central Ann Arbor, then reconnect to US-23 northbound. This avoids some of the congestion near the stadium area.
  • Using real-time traffic apps (Google Maps, Waze) is crucial on game day. These apps often reroute traffic around bottlenecks and alert you to temporary road closures or slowdowns near the stadium.

Suggested approach:

  • Plan to pass Ann Arbor after 2:00 PM if possible, as morning and early afternoon are busier for inbound fans.
  • Use bypass routes such as M-14 and I-96 to avoid the downtown/stadium corridor if you want a smoother drive.
  • Allow extra travel time — even after peak traffic, there can be residual congestion on ramps and feeder roads.

In summary, yes, aiming for around 2:00 PM should help you avoid most game-day congestion through Ann Arbor. Taking a bypass route like M-14/I-96 can further reduce delays. Make sure to monitor live traffic before and during your drive for the smoothest route.

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