Select parking and roads to close amid Howdy at the Hurd

On-campus parking lots will be closed effective 6 p.m. Thursday to accommodate Howdy at the Hurd. Kenneth Prabhakar | Photo Editor

By Sarah Gallaher | Staff Writer

Multiple roads and on-campus parking lots will close at 6 p.m. Thursday to accommodate Howdy at the Hurd, which will be held Friday evening.

The closures include Dutton Avenue, Lot 38 outside of North Russell and the portion of Third Street between Dutton Avenue and North Russell.

Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president of media and public relations, said there are multiple parking solutions available to students, faculty and staff after the closures begin.

Students with parking passes for the Dutton garage and Lot 38 can park at the Ferrell Center, where additional express shuttles will take students to multiple locations around campus every 10 minutes. Additionally, students can park in any available faculty and staff spaces on campus after 2 p.m. Thursday.

Faculty and staff who regularly park in one of the closed lots can park at any faculty and staff lot on campus. People with disabilities can also find accessible parking nearby at Moody-Memorial Library or Castellaw Communications Center.

“It shifts normal gameday closures of streets, parking lots and garages to a weekday, and it disrupts normal routines, but we’ve been so thankful for our students, faculty and staff,” Fogleman said. “They’ve navigated the temporary traffic and parking challenges really well.”

Students and faculty received a BaylorNewsFlash alert Wednesday morning informing them of the road and parking lot closures.

According to the Aug. 20 press release on Howdy, Dutton Avenue’s closure is due to a street fair that will be held there with food trucks and other activities.

“We understand that these changes can be challenging to normal routines, so we wanted to ensure students had a viable alternative by parking at Ferrell and shuttling to campus,” Fogleman said.

In addition to road and parking lot closures, the Parking and Transportation Services Office along with the ID office will be closed Friday. Students who require immediate assistance must visit the office on Thursday.

Following Howdy, the Dutton garage will remain closed for the football game Saturday, but Dutton Avenue, Third Street and Lot 38 will reopen at noon Saturday.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to accommodate our guests at the Hurd Welcome Center dedication on Friday and, importantly, ensure the safety of our students and all involved in the Howdy at the Hurd event that night,” Fogleman said.