Despite fear of a parking shortage, power outages, heavy storms and the largest recorded crowd at a University sporting event, transportation and parking problems were few and far between Saturday as the Cavaliers hosted Duke in their season football opener.
Though a new garage at the intersection of Ivy Road and Emmet Street designed to provide added game day parking has not yet opened due to construction slowed by weather and local protests, officials said no fans were turned away from University parking facilities.
"We're always trying to make things better," said Parking and Transportation Director Rebecca White. "Sure, there were some problems, but for the most part things went very well."
Problems included a large thunderstorm hours before game time that knocked out traffic signals from the University to 5th Street between 4 and 7 p.m., forcing City and University police to rely on officers to usher in hordes of visitors.
Usual traffic snares also greeted fans making their way into Charlottesville.
"It was horrible," said Patricia Bell, who drove in from Virginia Beach with her husband, a University alumnus, for the opening day festivities. "We've learned that you have to choke on it and get there early, but it still took forever."
Bell noted, however, that delays were not notably worse than in years past, a victory for organizers trying to avoid a monumental snag.
"It wasn't any better, but it wasn't worse," Bell said.
University officials had hoped the Ivy garage would alleviate strain caused by construction of the new John Paul Jones Arena, which has forced the elimination of 900 of the 2,500 parking spaces outside University Hall.
Parking and Transportation utilized new bus routes and new parking lots to handle this year's restricted parking, which coincides with record breaking sales of season tickets and a nationally ranked team expected to draw large crowds.
White reported that fans filled the University Hall lot and a lot at the Fontaine Research park by 5:30 p.m. At that point vehicles were directed to the Hospital parking lot, which housed 250 vehicles -- more than ever before.
Redirected traffic may have increased gridlock, White said, but all vehicles found spaces by game time. More than 200 spots remained available in the hospital lot.
About 1,600 fans took advantage of shuttles running to and from the Downtown Mall. Parking and Transportation brokered a deal providing downtown parking for $3 and shuttle service to the game for $2.
"Everything wasn't perfect," White said. "But it was pretty good."
Officials also reported that many fans made an early departure from the game due to rain showers and a commanding Cavalier lead, easing the usually staggering throng exiting after the fourth quarter.
UTS operated a number of shuttles and buses, and reported only one minor accident despite inclimate weather.
White said she expected to refine the plan used Saturday and continue similar service for upcoming games. She noted that construction will restrict access to the hospital lot Oct. 18, the day the Cavaliers play Florida State, but fans still should be able to access the lot easily.
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