As the campus prepares for the many commencement and year-end celebrations this weekend, I want to alert you to the impact this will have on traffic and parking.
On Friday alone, there are 18 departmental or organizational celebrations scheduled throughout the day, resulting in hundreds of visitors needing on-campus parking. Parking in the East Remote lot will be free on Friday to accommodate many of them. However, traffic on campus will be much heavier than usual, and parking for some celebrations will be in centrally-located parking lots. Please consider coordinating with your supervisor to work off-site or from home on Friday, or consider using alternative transportation to get to campus. Metro buses serving the UCSC campus will be fare-free on Saturday and Sunday. Campus shuttles will be operating on the summer intersession Loop bus schedule (starting at 7:30 a.m.) on Friday, with added evening Loop buses operating until 10 p.m. During the weekend campus Loop shuttle service will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
If you routinely park on campus with a valid UCSC parking permit, you should be able to park in the lot you normally use on Friday. Display your permit as usual, and please don't park in spaces reserved for VIPs, "Special Pass" holders, or disabled visitors.
Additionally, Caltrans will be repairing parts of Highway 17 this week. In particular, the southbound No. 2 (right) lane of Highway 17 from Sims Road to Pasatiempo Drive will be closed from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Friday.
If you will be on campus during the weekend, please be aware that traffic restrictions will be in place on Hagar Drive, which will be closed in the downhill direction from Steinhart Drive to the East Remote parking lot. If you will be leaving campus from the west side or campus core, please use Coolidge Drive, as Heller Drive may be heavily impacted with commencement ceremony traffic.
More information is available online at http://taps.ucsc.edu/event-parking/commencement-parking.html.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
