MTSU’s home football game against the University of Texas at San Antonio on Friday, Sept. 30, will require traffic and parking changes to accommodate on- and off-campus Blue Raider fans.

The Office of Parking and Transportation Services is encouraging students on campus to leave their cars parked and walk or ride the Raider Xpress shuttle to classes and the game. Faculty and staff can do the same or try to arrive early, since fans are expected to be on campus early as well.

MTSU’s Blue Raiders will be playing the UTSA Roadrunners beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Floyd Stadium. It’s the second home game of the 2022 season for MTSU and the only weeknight competition in the schedule.

During Friday’s expected traffic crunch, motorists should use entrances and exits on the less-congested south and east sides of campus along East Main Street and Rutherford Boulevard, said Tracy Read, parking and transportation services director.

“Our afternoon and evening classes will be meeting as usual, so using the south and east sides of campus will allow students, faculty and staff to enter and exit more easily,” Read said. “If they’re using access on East Main or Rutherford, they can avoid the most congested west and north sides of campus, along Middle Tennessee Boulevard and Greenland Drive.

“We’d also like to encourage students and staff to allow more time to get to and around campus and to use the perimeter parking lots, like Livestock and the two lots on Rutherford Boulevard.”

Parking lot and road closings for Sept. 30 include:

• The Greenland Drive and Division Street Lots will be blocked off all day for the game. Those who normally park in those lots are encouraged to find alternative parking for the day, preferably in the Rutherford Boulevard and other perimeter lots.

• The Midgett Lot, north of Kirksey Old Main; the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building Lot; and the Middle Tennessee Lot at the corner of Greenland Drive and Middle Tennessee Boulevard all will close at 2 p.m. for reserved parking. 

• All entrances of Faulkinberry Drive will close at noon on game day. Traffic will be allowed to exit only at the east end of Faulkinberry onto Champion Way.

• Normal Way will close at 2 p.m. Traffic can exit east to MTSU Boulevard or south to Old Main Circle.

All campus parking for people with disabilities will remain unchanged and will be enforced as usual. No one with a valid disability placard or license plate will be turned away from any available accessible-parking space, and no vehicle without the appropriate placard or plate will be allowed to use accessible parking spaces.

The Green Route for MTSU’s Raider Xpress shuttle buses will stop running at 4 p.m. Friday because of expected pedestrian congestion along the route. The university’s other shuttle routes will be run as usual until their customary 6 p.m. Friday closing.

A campus map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking.

For more information about parking at MTSU anytime, visit the Office of Parking and Transportation Services website at https://mtsu.edu/parking.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)