This football season University students, Baton Rouge residents and football fans will see a change in the direction of traffic after games that should speed the movement of vehicles leaving campus.
The Football Parking Committee decided this past week to change the route at the suggestion of the Sheriff’s Office and the city traffic engineer, said Director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, Gary Graham. Nicholson Drive between Brightside Drive/West Lee Drive and Bluebonnet Boulevard will become a one-way road heading southbound. Burbank Drive, which was previously designated as one-way after games, will now have two-way traffic.
“The area along Burbank used to be very rural, but now there are a lot of apartments and condos. However, south of Lee on Nicholson there’s still little development,” Graham said.
Graham said another reason for the route change is that the Fairway parking is closed because of construction on Alex Box Stadium, leading to the expansion of the levee lots along River Road.
“Plus, next year Burbank’s going to be under construction as they widen it from two lanes to five,” Graham said.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent said specific times are not set for when the traffic changes start and end.
“The route is changed after the game until traffic is clear,” Vincent said. “The times vary depending on the size of the crowd and how close the game was because some people leave early.”
The University encourages fans to park off campus and ride buses to the games, according to lsusports.net. Free parking for buses is provided by the University on Skip Bertman Drive.
—Contact Olivia Hernandez at [email protected]