Stadium Black Lot to Close as Part of Water Detention Project

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 24, 2014) — The Commonwealth Stadium Black Lot and associated bus stop, located south of Alumni Drive near Greg Page Apartments, will permanently close later this week, as the campus community departs for the Thanksgiving holiday. This closure is a result of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-funded storm water mitigation project in the south campus area. Students and employees who park in the Black Lot must remove their vehicles prior to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26.

The south campus storm water mitigation project began earlier this year and is designed to capture storm water runoff through a series of surface and subsurface retention areas and gradually release it, to prevent flooding in the south campus and Nicholasville Road areas. The first phase of the project, which was completed prior to the start of the fall semester, involved constructing subsurface water retention basins at the northwest corner of Alumni and University Drives, adjacent to the Lexington Senior Center, as well as the proactive replacement of the 660 spaces being eliminated at the Black Lot. As part of this phase and to counteract the anticipated parking losses, Parking and Transportation Services funded the remainder of the 1,236 spaces in what is now known as the Commonwealth Stadium Orange Lot.

The Black Lot typically accommodates approximately 125 vehicles on a daily basis. Permit holders impacted by this closure may park in any of the other K areas surrounding Commonwealth Stadium, which have been averaging 400 to 500 vacant parking spaces during periods of peak demand.