The Vanderbilt football team opens its 2016 season on Thursday, Sept. 1, with a nationally televised game against South Carolina. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.
The game will provide a great opportunity for the university to gain national attention, showcasing the excitement surrounding Vanderbilt football and the university as a whole.
With the game being played on a workday, some adjustments to parking and traffic flow are necessary to accommodate the influx of fans to campus while hopefully limiting the impact on university and Vanderbilt University Medical Center personnel. These modifications are very similar to those that successfully have been made in the past for mid-week games.
Please make note of the following changes:
- Jess Neely Drive will be closed to automobile traffic from Natchez Trace to 25th Avenue beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. The street will remain open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
- Natchez Trace will be closed to automobile traffic from Children’s Way to Kensington Place beginning at 9 a.m. Sept. 1. The street will remain open to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
- Medical Center staff members whose vehicles normally remain in Lot N after 4 p.m. will be asked to park in alternate locations Sept. 1. These parkers will receive specific information about their parking alternatives in the coming weeks.
- Those who normally park in the 25th Avenue Garage may park there as usual but should be aware that from 4 to 7 p.m. the garage and the streets around it will become congested with people arriving for the game.
- Lots 71 and 64 will be closed Wednesday at midnight.
- Lots 29B, 64, 71, 72A, 72B, 73 and 73A will be closed Sept. 1 to accommodate necessary preparations. These lots will be marked with appropriate signage three days in advance so that alternative parking arrangements can be made.
Vanderbilt employees may want to consider taking public transit or biking or walking to work on Sept. 1. All full-time Vanderbilt employees and graduate students are eligible to ride to and from campus for free on MTA buses. Learn more about Vanderbilt’s alternative transportation options.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of those who may be inconvenienced by the parking changes for this game,” Associate Director of Student Athletics Brock Williams said. “We are working hard to make sure that the impact of this nationally televised game on the daily business of the university and Medical Center is kept to a minimum.”