The parking and traffic situations will look a lot different for University of Maine men’s hockey games this season.
Fans will experience new road and parking lot closures, but will also have access to a free shuttle service for the first time.
That new shuttle, provided by Cyr Bus Line of Old Town, will whisk fans from the Collins Center and Belgrade parking lots on campus in Orono to the newly renovated Alfond Arena.
That free service will begin two hours prior to the start of the game and will take fans back to those parking areas once the game is over, according to a press release from the school.
The designated pick-up areas for the shuttle will be the front of the Collins Center lot and the front of Alfond Arena. The shuttle will not stop at other locations on campus.
In addition to that new shuttle, the school is implementing new road and parking lot closures for men’s hockey games this season, while introducing a new traffic pattern on campus for those home games.
The only parking allowed via Branch Road next to the arena this season will be VIP and ADA parking. The university encourages fans with those designations and passes to arrive on campus via Stillwater Avenue in Old Town.
All other fans can access parking via the Sebec, Munson and Rangeley Road entrances — and are encouraged to get to campus using exit 191 on I-95 and drive to downtown Orono to reach campus.
Long road, which cuts through the campus, will be closed two hours before the game starts for pedestrian safety, according to UMaine. All other parking lots with blue and black signage are open to the public during the games.
More information on the parking, traffic and shuttle changes — including a map — are available on the university’s website.