Project to Impact Parking, Traffic on University and Complex Drives
![](https://uknow.uky.edu/sites/default/files/styles/uknow_story_image/public/universitydrive-03_0.jpg)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 11, 2019) — Upcoming projects on University and Complex drives at the University of Kentucky will impact parking and transportation in those areas as early as Dec. 20.
Contractors are expected to begin installing a sanitary sewer on Complex Drive just before winter break, which will require that street be closed to traffic through approximately Jan. 12. Pedestrian access will be maintained.
During the same timeframe, contractors will also begin work on University Drive that will result in loss of street parking in some sections of the roadway prior to winter break. Parking on both sides of University Drive is expected to be affected through March 2020. This work will also impact bike lanes and campus bus traffic in the area.
During certain times, parking on both sides of University will be unavailable from Complex Drive south to Cooper Drive. The bicycle and parking lanes on both sides will be used for through traffic for the duration of the project.
This work is part of the Central Campus Infrastructure Relocation Project, which will relocate all utilities (electric, chilled water, steam, sewer and communications) from the Kirwan-Blanding Complex to make way for demolition of these buildings, which is expected to begin next spring. (Read more about the project.) By proactively moving the utilities, UK Information Technology Services hopes to avoid unexpected outages during the demolition phase, as well as provide additional capacity for future projects for the entire campus.
Affected employees may consider parking in the Orange Lot or other E-Intermediate lots in the vicinity. Campus bus riders should anticipate occasional delays.
Cyclists who regularly travel University Drive should consider detours around this area. If you travel from the east on Cooper Drive, turn right onto Sports Center Drive to access the main campus area. Those traveling from the south on University Drive can turn left onto Farm Road, then right onto Veterans Drive. Take the tunnel underneath Cooper Drive to continue north toward main campus.
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.