Grand opening of massive Colorado Scheels expected to attract 30,000 to 40,000

Between 30,000 and 40,000 people are expected to head toward the newest location of sporting goods megastore Scheels on Saturday in Johnstown.

Johnstown Police Cmdr. Aaron Sanchez said because Scheels has done such a good job with advertising and so many people are excited for the store to open, law enforcement agencies have been anticipating opening day for more than two years.

"This is the first time that a store of this size has come to Johnstown," he said.

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Johnstown's police department employs only about 20 officers, so the department reached out to other agencies and the Colorado Department of Transportation to assist with the added traffic, much of which will affect driving patterns in east Loveland.

Scheels will host its grand opening of its only Colorado location at 4755 Ronald Regan Blvd., with doors opening at 9 a.m. and activities in the parking lot beginning two hours prior.

Soon to be the the largest retailer in Northern Colorado, Scheels features 250,000 square feet of retail space with more than 80 specialty shops, a Ferris wheel and much more.

Sgt. Mike Halloran of the Loveland Police Department said his agency is working with the Johnstown Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Department of Transportation as well as city traffic engineering on traffic operations and safety during opening weekend. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office and Loveland Fire Rescue Authority have also been involved in planning efforts.

"Because of the influx of traffic, we want to be sure we provide an extra measure of safety for the motoring public," Halloran said.

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That includes not just helping with traffic flow but also other traffic-related incidents in the area.

While traffic to the store may die down after opening day, a store of this size will still bring more traffic than the area has previously seen, so Sanchez said officers will continue monitoring traffic flow for a while.

Saturday is expected to be the largest day for traffic, but Scheels is hosting a VIP event Friday evening that is expected to attract about 3,000 people over a short period of time.

For this weekend, planning agencies created a blueprint of the store and surrounding streets and identified a plan for how to get vehicles in and out of the parking area as well as how traffic will flow at key intersections to "ensure that traffic flow is continuously moving and doesn't get backed up or congested or bottlenecked in other areas," Sanchez said.

The two main intersections where additional police officers will be located are at Thompson Parkway and U.S. Highway 34 and at Larimer Parkway and U.S. 34.

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Loveland police officers will be stationed at both, monitoring traffic flow, and as needed, overriding traffic lights at those intersections to avoid too much congestion.

CDOT also provided police with mobile cameras that they're placing in strategic areas to help monitor traffic from the command center.

A traffic light was recently installed at Larimer Parkway and U.S. 34 and went live on Tuesday at the entrance of the new 2534 development in Johnstown, in anticipation of the increased traffic in the area from the new retailers.

Halloran said law enforcement agencies are trying to do everything they can to ensure that traffic continues to flow at both Interstate 25 and U.S. 34, including for people who are driving through the area but aren't going to the store.

Sanchez said in addition to the specific traffic safety measures, police have contacted the businesses at the U.S. 34 and I-25 corridor as well as the subdivision to the south, Thompson Crossing, to alert them about the increased traffic and encourage people to find different driving routes if they can on Saturday.

"There's going to be a heavy amount of traffic in this area," Sanchez said. "And it's just very comforting knowing we can rely on other law enforcement agencies and CDOT to help with this event."

What to expect if you're going or driving by on Saturday or Sunday

People exiting I-25 and heading eastbound on U.S. 34 will be directed to a far right dedicated right-turn lane to Thompson Parkway. Those who are not going to the event but headed in that direction will be able to go past Thompson Parkway further east.

Fort those headed south from Centerra Parkway toward Johnstown, the lanes will narrow to one lane to help with traffic coming from U.S. 34.

Reporter Saja Hindi covers public safety and local politics. You can follow her on Twitter @BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.