Roads clear to and around site of CFP semifinal at Cotton Bowl after winter storm in North Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Roads leading to and around the site of the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl were clear and mostly dry before Friday night’s game between Texas and Ohio State.

There had been concerns leading up to the game about the potential for transportation issues around AT&T Stadium after a winter storm moved through the area Thursday with a mix of sleet and snow.

The game is played inside the stadium with the retractable roof closed, as is standard for Cotton Bowl games and most games played there by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

While as much as much as 7 inches of snow fell in some parts of North Texas on Thursday and into early Friday, only about two inches were recorded in the Arlington area.

By early Friday afternoon, with temperatures still in the 30s but above freezing, there were only some remnants of snow and ice on grassy areas around the stadium. The sun broke through the clouds about three hours before the scheduled kickoff.

Even though there were no issues getting to the stadium by vehicle, delays and cancellations of flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International and Dallas’ Love Field likely impacted some fans trying to travel by air to the game. There were still delays and cancellations throughout the day Friday, even after the storm had cleared the North Texas area.

Texas and Ohio State both were able to hold their scheduled final practices inside AT&T Stadium on Thursday, even with the wintery mix outside.

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