The excitement of football season can be quickly lost when fans think about finding a parking spot – or even worse – leaving after the game. But this year may be different. The Baton Rouge Police Department suggested changes to the Athletic Department to ease troubles from last season. The most pressing problem faced last year was the bottleneck forming on Skip Bertman Drive after almost every game. To alleviate this traffic, all cars west of the railroad tracks will be directed into three lanes on Skip Bertman Drive. The left lane will only be able to turn left onto River Road. The next lane is reserved for the police. The two lanes on the right will be right turn only.Last year River Road operated normally, but this year it will change from a two-way road into a one-way northbound road from Skip Bertman Drive to I-10 downtown.”It is a big plus to allow two lanes this year,” said Gary Graham, Parking, Traffic, and Transportation director. Construction is also another concern.”We anticipate that the construction on Burbank will cause delays,” said Herb Vincent, senior associate athletic director. Graham said the construction on Burbank should be done by mid-season, when big games against Georgia and Alabama are scheduled.Construction on the new basketball practice facility will affect some tailgating spots on the backside of the PMAC, Vincent said. But only a few reserved parking spaces should be lost and traffic flow will not be traveling through any other construction zones.Graham also advises fans to watch where they park, especially near the new Graham Residential College. If cars are in the parking lot across the street on gameday, they will be towed. Graham estimated the number of cars on campus for a game at about 30,000  but said for big games the number could be 50,000.”You gotta be patient,” Vincent said. “If you have 100,000 people on campus, it’s like trying to get the entire population of Ascension [Parish] out at the same time.”While many people have problems getting off campus after games, most are not as concerned with getting to the game and finding a spot. “I usually drive here early to get a good spot since I live 20 minutes away,” said Amy West, biology senior. West said leaving campus is another story.”It takes almost an hour to get where I’m going, and the only other option is to stay around and wait,” West said.—-Contact  Ellen Zielinski at [email protected]