Sports Center Garage to close during summer
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 1, 2026) — Sports Center Garage will close Monday, May 11, and reopen prior to Fall 2026 student move-in.
The garage expansion project has been ongoing since spring 2025, and will wrap up this summer. Vehicular traffic impacts are expected to be minimal, but pedestrians and cyclists should exercise caution when traveling in the vicinity.
Details for Sports Center Garage permit holders
R7, E7 and C7 permit holders with unexpired permits are authorized to park in the following areas once the garage closes:
- R7, E7 and C7 spaces along Complex Drive
- Hilltop Avenue Garage (PS #2)
E7 permits are considered core permits, which means that E7 permit holders may also park in other regular employee intermediate and employee periphery areas during the summer.
Similarly, R7 and C7 permit holders with unexpired permits may park in student periphery (RK and CK) as well as all other parking areas designated for summer control during this period. Please see the summer parking map for more details.
There’s no need to return or exchange a permit. Park in any of the authorized areas and properly display your permit.
Construction-related information
The Sports Center Garage capital construction project includes a 1,200-space garage expansion and a 40,000 square foot expansion to the adjacent Johnson Student Recreation Center.
Once completed, the garage will have a one-level vertical expansion of the existing structure, and a five-level horizontal expansion to the west. The parking portion of this multifaceted project is intended to help address parking losses associated with planned construction as well as address demand resulting from ongoing campus growth.
In previous years, the top two floors of Hilltop Avenue Garage (PS #2) were made available to individuals with any valid UK parking permit. This option is not available this summer due to this temporary closure. Instead, Hilltop Avenue Garage will be used to accommodate temporarily displaced R7, E7 and C7 permit holders, as well individuals with E2 permits.
If you have questions about your parking options or need more information, email UK Transportation Services at transportation@uky.edu or call 859-257-5757.
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 healthcare. 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 $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.