Big Blue Move-in begins Aug. 16; anticipate parking, travel impacts

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 14, 2026) — The University of Kentucky will welcome new Wildcats to campus Aug. 16-19, as more than 8,000 students move into their residence halls. During those days there will be significant impacts to parking, traffic and campus transportation.  

In particular, the following areas will be “No Parking” zones, in effect from 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 16-19:  

• Avenue of Champions: Lexington Avenue to Limestone, including the metered parking in front of Roselle Hall   

• Martin Luther King Boulevard: Maxwell Street to Avenue of Champions    

• Lexington Avenue: Maxwell Street to Avenue of Champions     

• Huguelet Drive: From University Drive to the Jacobs Science Building (Rose Street)   

• University Drive: From Cooper Drive to Hilltop Avenue  

• Hilltop Avenue: From Hilltop Avenue Garage (PS #2) to Woodland Avenue 

• Woodland Avenue: Between Hilltop Avenue and Sports Center Drive   

• Sports Center Drive: Between Woodland Avenue and the Employee Intermediate (E) lot north of the Nutter Football Training Facility   

Employees should also expect additional demand for parking in Cornerstone Garage (PS #5) and in the Kroger Field Green and Blue Lots, which are available for students and parents as official move-in parking areas.  

The campus Blue and White Route buses will also run modified routes during move-in. The White Route will travel primarily through central campus, whereas the Blue Route will service the west part of campus, traveling from Kroger Field to Limestone, turning left on Winslow and returning to Kroger Field. These buses will also run 6:45 a.m. to midnight Aug. 16 to assist with move-in. Regular weekday service will commence once move-in is finished.  

The campus Orange Route (UK HealthCare) will run a modified route during move-in to keep UK HealthCare employees out of move-in traffic. 

The following also will be made into one-way streets effective 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 16-19.  

• One-way southbound: Martin Luther King Boulevard between Good Samaritan parking lot and Avenue of Champions  

• One-way southbound: Lexington Avenue between Maxwell Street and Avenue of Champions  

• NOTE: Employee (E) lot entrance north of the Joe Craft Center CLOSED at Lexington Avenue; enter and exit only at Rose Street  

• One-way westbound: Avenue of Champions between Rose Street and South Limestone (no through traffic)  

• One-way westbound: Huguelet Drive between University Drive and Rose Street  

• One-way northbound: University Drive between Cooper Drive and Huguelet Drive 

• One-way eastbound: Hilltop Avenue between University Drive and Woodland Avenue (also Aug.18)  

• One-way northbound: Woodland Avenue between Hilltop Avenue and Columbia Avenue (also Aug. 18)  

• One-way southbound: Sports Center Drive between Woodland Avenue and the Employee (E) lot north of the Nutter Football Training Facility  

• One-way eastbound: pedestrian walkway in front of Woodland Glen V  

Students and their families can now use the Waze app to navigate their designated move-in route. Each student’s move-in packet includes a custom QR code for their residence hall. Scan the code before leaving home or upon arriving in Lexington to receive directions to the residence hall. 

Route maps for Big Blue Move-In can be found at https://wildcatliving.uky.edu/move-route-and-parking-information. 

For more information about Big Blue Move-in, visit https://wildcatliving.uky.edu/current-students/big-blue-move.  

Important note: Outside of these times, there will be no left turn from southbound University Drive onto Cooper Drive. This is a temporary change due to construction projects to support the expansion of Chandler Hospital. Learn more about traffic impacts in this area.