AUSTIN, Texas—To reduce drive-through traffic on campus and improve pre-game security, The University of Texas at Austin will establish permit checkpoint areas around the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium two hours prior to the start of the football game Saturday and all home football games until further notice.
The checkpoints at street entrances near the stadium will go into effect at 5 p.m., Saturday for the home game against the University of Houston. A map (PDF format) of the checkpoint areas may be viewed online.
“Parking around the stadium on game day has always been limited to fans with permits and people with disabilities,” said Joe Powell, associate vice president for employee and campus services. “We’re just reducing the risk for fans in the stadium and pedestrian traffic by making sure the cars that drive through that area have legitimate game-day permits.”
Parking enforcement attendants will be posted in the following street areas:
- Robert Dedman at Dean Keeton
- San Jacinto at Dean Keeton
- 24th Street at Speedway
- Trinity at Martin Luther King Boulevard
- Clyde Littlefield at Red River
The University of Texas at Austin’s permit checkpoints follow a national trend aimed at improving fan safety at most large athletic venues. Only a few stadiums matching Darrell K. Royal -Texas Memorial Stadium’s capacity even allow parking within 500 feet of the facility.
“You’ve seen the slogan shirts for athletics that say, ‘Come Early, Be Loud, and Stay Late. . .’ We’re really emphasizing the ‘come early’ part of that, and we’re advising our fans with permits to have them out and ready to show the staff at these check points,” Powell said.
For more information contact: Rhonda Weldon, Office of the Vice President for Employee and Campus Services, 512-471-4472.
