The TSSAA high school basketball tournaments continue this week on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, and the university is making temporary parking and traffic changes to accommodate its guests.

The boys’ TSSAA Division I High School Basketball Tournaments is set Wednesday-Saturday, March 15-18, inside Murphy Center’s Hale Arena on the northwest side of the MTSU campus. The girls’ high school tournaments concluded March 11.

Once again, motorists should be aware of several factors affecting campus roads and parking as a result of the tournament and its visitors.

• MTSU’s East Main Street and Rutherford Boulevard entrances will be the most convenient campus entry points during the tournament, university officials said.
• The Greenland Drive parking lot will be reserved for TSSAA ticketholders during the tournament, and vehicles must pay $5 to park there. Students and faculty who use the Greenland Drive lot should prepare now to find alternative parking on campus, including the Tennessee Livestock Pavilion lot off Greenland Drive and the Rutherford Boulevard parking lots.
• The university will reserve parking during the tournament in the Middle Tennessee Boulevard (Woodfin), Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building, Holmes and Smith Field lots for vehicles displaying appropriate campus permits. Visitors with appropriate permits also will be allowed to park in those lots.
• The Champion Way entrance at Greenland Drive will be closed March 15-18, and eastbound Greenland Drive traffic will be directed to Rutherford Boulevard. Campus traffic can still exit via Champion Way onto Greenland.
• Faulkinberry Drive and Normal Way will be closed to accommodate TSSAA team buses. No parking or street access will be available.

University officials are encouraging motorists to avoid Middle Tennessee Boulevard if possible, or at least allow extra time to reach their destinations, because of ongoing road construction and the additional tournament traffic congestion around campus. They also can use the university’s perimeter parking lots, including the Tennessee Livestock Pavilion and Rutherford lots, during the tournament.

The Raider Xpress shuttle service will operate on its normal schedule during the boys’ TSSAA tournament with the exception of the “Green Route,” which will not serve the Greenland Drive parking lot.

All other events scheduled on campus during the tournament will be allowed first-come, first-served parking in any of MTSU’s free lots, based on availability.

A searchable campus map with parking and travel notes is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

For more information about MTSU traffic, parking and road closures, call MTSU Parking and Transportation Services at 615-898-2850 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Central time or visit www.mtsu.edu/parking. For more information about the TSSAA state tournaments, visit www.tssaa.org or call 615-889-6740.

MTSU has parking, traffic tweaks for TSSAA tourneys March 8-18

TSSAA high school basketball tournaments are returning like robins this spring to the campus of Middle Tennessee State University, and the university is making temporary parking and traffic changes to accommodate its guests.

The TSSAA Division I High School Basketball Tournaments are set March 8-11 for the girls and March 15-18 for the boys inside Murphy Center’s Hale Arena on the northwest side of the MTSU campus.

As a result, motorists should be aware of several factors affecting campus roads and parking.

• MTSU’s East Main Street and Rutherford Boulevard entrances will be the most convenient campus entry points during the tournament, university officials said.
• The Greenland Drive parking lot will be reserved for TSSAA ticketholders during the tournament, and vehicles must pay $5 to park there. Students and faculty who use the Greenland Drive lot should prepare now to find alternative parking on campus, including the Tennessee Livestock Pavilion lot off Greenland Drive and the Rutherford Boulevard parking lots.
• The university will reserve parking during the tournament in the Middle Tennessee Boulevard (Woodfin), Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building, Holmes and Smith Field lots for vehicles displaying appropriate campus permits. Visitors with appropriate permits also will be allowed to park in those lots.
• The Champion Way entrance at Greenland Drive will be closed March 8-11 and March 15-18, and eastbound Greenland Drive traffic will be directed to Rutherford Boulevard. Campus traffic can still exit via Champion Way onto Greenland.
• Faulkinberry Drive and Normal Way will be closed to accommodate TSSAA team buses. No parking or street access will be available.

University officials are encouraging motorists to avoid Middle Tennessee Boulevard if possible, or at least allow extra time to reach their destinations, because of ongoing road construction and the additional tournament traffic congestion around campus. They also can use the university’s perimeter parking lots, including the Tennessee Livestock Pavilion and Rutherford lots, during the tournaments.

MTSU will be on spring break March 6-11, during the first TSSAA tournament. No classes will be held, but university offices will be open regular hours.

The Raider Xpress shuttle service will not run while the university is on spring break. It will operate on its normal schedule during the boys’ TSSAA tournament, however, with the exception of the “Green Route,” which will not serve the Greenland Drive parking lot.

All other events scheduled on campus during the tournaments will be allowed first-come, first-served parking in any of MTSU’s free lots, based on availability.

A searchable campus map with parking and travel notes is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

For more information about MTSU traffic, parking and road closures, call MTSU Parking and Transportation Services at 615-898-2850 between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Central time or visit www.mtsu.edu/parking. For more information about the TSSAA state tournaments, visit www.tssaa.org or call 615-889-6740.