Campus News

Cooper Drive on UK Campus to be Temporarily Blocked Starting Friday, Feb. 7

map of Cooper Drive and University Drive intersection

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 3, 2020) — Cooper Drive on the University of Kentucky campus will be temporarily blocked to east and westbound thru traffic beginning 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7, through 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10.

Eastbound traffic on Cooper Drive will be detoured to the south onto University Drive, while westbound traffic will detour to the north onto University. North and southbound traffic on University will be able to cross Cooper and will not be affected. Traffic will also be able to make right turns from University onto Cooper, while left turns from University onto Cooper will be blocked. (Please see map above or download.)

UK Transportation Services says campus bus service will largely be unaffected by this construction with the exception of a small portion of the Blue Route. After departing the Kroger Field Blue Lot shelter, the Blue Route buses will detour through the Kroger Field parking lot to Alumni and then to South Limestone. The only stop affected will be the Garrigus stop on Cooper Drive. Individuals who typically use this stop should instead disembark at Agriculture Science Center North. The White Route and weekend Yellow Routes will not be affected.

This temporary closure will facilitate completion of a portion of the central campus infrastructure relocation work, which is designed to relocate utilities (electric, chilled water, steam, sewer and communications) to support future construction of university housing on the site of the existing Kirwan-Blanding Complex, which is scheduled for demolition over the next year.

Please allow additional commute time, if traveling in the area. As always, construction is dependent upon the weather and this schedule is subject to change accordingly.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.