Phase II of Campus Parking Changes Begins Saturday, March 8

Work on new garage, basketball arena continues, lots near Vaught-Hemingway Stadium affected

OXFORD, Miss. – This week marks the start of the second phase of the ongoing construction of an 825-spot, five-story parking garage and preparations for the new basketball arena – two major campus improvement projects under way near Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

When completed, the area affected by the construction will have nearly 400 more parking spaces than before. The start of phase II means several changes to parking around the construction site.

Construction began in December on the parking garage, with an expected completion sometime this fall. Work on a new multipurpose arena for UM basketball games, which also includes a food court and academic areas, begins this spring and is expected to be completed in early 2016.

The two major projects involve two separate phases, the first of which began in December. The second, which coincides with the beginning of work on the arena, begins Saturday.

Phase II

Some changes to the parking situation in the construction zone will be in place until early 2016, when the new arena is expected to be complete. Exact construction timelines depend on variables including weather, which could affect the work.

Students:

  • One commuter lot near Tad Smith Coliseum will be reclassified as a faculty-staff lot. This lot will be re-designated as commuter parking upon completion of the parking garage in Fall 2014. Students who wish to park in the affected area should plan accordingly and allot extra time to find a parking space. See the map.
  • The entire west stadium lot at Vaught-Hemingway will be closed through the duration of the project.
  • Part of Hill Drive, including where it intersects with All-American Drive just northwest of the stadium, will be closed for the work. Hill Drive will be straightened and will be ready for use by the start of the fall 2014 semester.
  • The remainder of about 100 commuter parking spaces in the construction zone will close for lay-down space for construction equipment but will be returned upon completion of the basketball arena.

Faculty-Staff:

  • One commuter lot near Tad Smith Coliseum containing 153 spaces will be reclassified as faculty-staff parking.
  • The entire west stadium lot at Vaught-Hemingway will be closed and this will become the location of the arena.
  • The Turner Center faculty-staff lot at the corner of All-American and Hill drives will close and a portion returned upon completion of Hill Drive.

Additional parking is available in an under-utilized lot behind the Ole Miss track facility. Anyone with the proper hangtag that allows for central campus parking can park in this lot, which contains 272 spots. The Park & Ride express shuttle service from the south lot will be detouring around the east side of the Manning Center and has added a pickup point at the north end of this parking lot. The lot is designated as “open” and is available to anyone with faculty-staff, commuter and residential hangtags. (Individuals with Park & Ride decals must continue parking in Park & Ride lots.)