Welcome Week events expected to cause traffic impacts in campus area

New students, a new festival and a new academic year will mean plenty of traffic in the campus area over the next week.

The early arrival move-in on Thursday, Aug. 15, begins the buildup to Welcome Week at The Ohio State University. Students begin moving in at 9 a.m. and wrap up at 3:30 p.m. Faculty and staff are advised to arrive early to campus and not move their cars.

The Department of Transportation and Traffic Management anticipates major traffic delays on and around campus, including along Ackerman Road, Lane Avenue, High Street, Woodruff Avenue, Herrick Drive, 12th Avenue and Neil Avenue.

Traffic picks up this weekend as the annual Student Move-In runs from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17. Drivers should expect significant traffic delays as central campus is closed to all non-move-in traffic during this time.

Law enforcement will control traffic at major campus intersections and along the streets bordering campus.

University personnel working on move-in day are asked to plan for early arrival to campus to avoid peak traffic flow and to allow for delays in any movement on campus throughout the day.

A new wrinkle this year is the launch of the WonderBus Music and Arts Festival. The new music festival runs Aug. 17-18 on the lawn at CAS near West Dodridge Street. CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society, formerly hosted Picnic with the Pops. The location is adjacent to campus and CAS is donating its lawn to support the festival.

Activities at Ohio State continue on Sunday, Aug. 18, with the Student Involvement Fair. More than 700 student organizations and campus departments will be on the Oval and South Oval to share information about their organizations. College Road between 12th Avenue and Annie and John Glenn Avenue will be closed.

Buck-I-Frenzy, a student festival, will occur Monday, Aug. 19. Tuttle Park Place will close in both directions south of the Tuttle Garage, and Annie and John Glenn Avenue west of Milliken Avenue will close in both directions.

As students return for autumn semester, additional vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic is anticipated. All are reminded to remain alert, eliminate distracting behaviors and keep safety in mind when traveling on campus.

Plan ahead and allow extra time as areas around High Street, College Road and Neil Avenue are impacted by construction. Take a moment to view construction maps to help navigate campus this fall.

Information about parking impacts associated with these events is available on CampusParc’s website.