If Minute Maid, BBVA Compass overlap use, fans need to be patient and come early

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For the first time since the Dynamo opened BBVA Compass Stadium across Highway 59 from Minute Maid Park on May 12, both facilities will have games simultaneously.

And if ever there was a benefit from low Astros attendance, Wednesday night will see it.

The Houston Police Department and Dynamo officials plead for tolerance as fans converge on downtown.

But the Astros, BBVA Compass Stadium and HPD officials don't expect much of a headache as fans head to Texas Avenue to watch the Chicago Cubs and Astros or the national soccer teams of El Salvador and New Zealand.

"We would encourage fans to arrive early and exercise excess patience," HPD spokesman Kese Smith said. "You're going to have people who are going to be trying to figure out where to park.

"We ask the public to be extra patient and arrive early."

To help alleviate some congestion, Dynamo officials have scheduled kickoff for 8 p.m., with the gates opening two hours earlier. First pitch at Minute Maid Park is 7:05 p.m.

Houston Dynamo fans sit inside BBVA Compass Stadium during the stadium's opening day. Houston Dynamo fans sit inside BBVA Compass Stadium during the stadium's opening day. Photo: James Nielsen, Chronicle Photo: James Nielsen, Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close If Minute Maid, BBVA Compass overlap use, fans need to be patient and come early 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Fans with tickets to the soccer match won't have access to the 1,500 parking spots in lots B and C on Texas Avenue. Those lots are for Astros fans with parking passes.

"We anticipate the Astros crowd to get in and get set from 7 to 7:15 p.m.," BBVA Compass Stadium general manager Doug Hall said. "For our crowd, we think the heavy traffic typically is from 7:15 to 8."

Before Tuesday night, the Astros were drawing an average crowd of 23,125. The Dynamo had standing-room-only crowds of 22,039 at each of their first two games, but Wednesday night's match isn't a regular-season Major League Soccer game.

Hall expects a crowd between 15,000 and 20,000. Astros president George Postolos expects a crowd of about 20,000 Wednesday for the Cubs finale.

So if Postolos' prediction is accurate, the combined crowds won't match the 42,673 who attended Saturday night's Lone Star Series game against the Texas Rangers, which was the second-largest crowd of the season at Minute Maid behind opening day.

"The total crowd will be well below the Astros-only crowd we had for Saturday's Astros vs. Rangers game, so the traffic should be manageable," Postolos said.

Whatever the case, HPD plans to be ready.

Protect and serve

"This is not the first time the Houston Police Department has handled simultaneous events in the downtown area," HPD executive assistant chief for strategic operations Michael Dirden said in a statement. "Whether it be the Houston Astros playing at the same time as the Houston Rockets or while various events are under way at the George R. Brown Convention Center, HPD has the resources and capacity to keep the public safe and ensure an orderly flow of traffic. Wednesday's events will be no different."

As policy, HPD does not divulge the number of police officers working major sporting events monitoring traffic or parking lots.

Most of the officers working at Minute Maid Park and BBVA Compass Stadium are paid by the Astros and Dynamo and employed while on Houston Police Department-approved extra jobs.

Plenty of security

"We don't really discuss exact numbers (used for Dynamo events), but it can range from 10 police officers to 50 police officers on secondary employment," Hall said. "We're hoping for a sellout but expecting somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000."

Postolos said the Astros have between 30 to 45 officers on extra-job duty during a game and 35 to 45 uniformed private security staff.

A compromise

Former Astros owner Drayton McLane agreed to let the Dynamo use Minute Maid Park's lots B and C for games.

"It will obviously be a challenge," said attorney Robert Kruckemeyer, who is a longtime season-ticket holder of the Astros, Dynamo and Texans. "However, there were 42,000 at the Astros game on Saturday, and I would be surprised that there would be much more than that between the Astros-Cubs and the El Salvador game."

jesus.ortiz@chron.com twitter.com/ortizkicks