SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 5, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Road closures and other restrictions will be in effect for Wednesday’s vice presidential debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence at Kingsbury Hall, officials said.
Pence and Harris are slated to debate each other for 90 minutes; the debate will be broadcast from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Susan Page, of USA Today, will moderate the only planned debate between the two.
Harris is already in Utah; Pence is due to arrive today, Monday, according to multiple reports.
“As the vice presidential debate rapidly approaches, university commuter travel near the Presidents Circle area can expect road impacts, parking restrictions and transit detours,” said a news release from the University of Utah. “Many of these impacts are needed to accommodate staging equipment, work trailers and satellite trucks vital to making the debate a worldwide success. With safety and security at the forefront of this monumental event, we ask all motorists, transit passengers, cyclists and pedestrians to plan accordingly when traveling to campus between through Oct. 8.”
ROAD CLOSURES
University Street
The University Street roadway will be closed between 100 South to 300 South through Thursday, Oct. 8. During this time, southbound access will remain open for University Street residents with driveway access only. Street parking is strictly prohibited during this time, and violators will be towed at the owner’s expense.
The University Street roadway will reopen on Thursday, Oct. 8.
100 South impacts
The 100 South roadway will be closed to all eastbound and westbound traffic starting Tuesday, Oct. 6, through Wednesday, Oct. 7. The roadway will reopen to normal traffic patterns on the morning of Oct. 8.
PARKING
Several parking lots surrounding Presidents Circle will be inaccessible. Other lots on campus will be reserved for Unified Police Department, event staff, attendees, and authorized personnel. Parking closures and restrictions are subject to change.
The following lots will be closed or reserved:
- The President Circle Lot (Lot 35) will be closed through Thursday, Oct. 8.
- The Law Lot (Lot 2) and the Guardsman Lot (Lot 40) will be reserved on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
- The Stadium Lot (Lot 1) will be reserved through Thursday Oct. 8.
- The Student Service Lot (Lot 33) will be closed from Tuesday, Oct. 6 to Wednesday, Oct. 7.
- The Northwest Garage (Lot 38) will be reserved through Thursday, Oct. 8.
- The Navel Science Lot (Lot 34) will be closed through Thursday, Oct. 8.
- Other university affiliates for coming to campus for reasons unrelated to the debate may park in the Merrill Engineering Lot (Lot 39) as an alternative.
CAMPUS SHUTTLE
The Circulator and Blue routes will not stop at Presidents Circle through Friday, Oct. 9.
The Circulator Route will detour through 1300 East, turn right on South Temple and Wolcott Street, and proceed to a designated shuttle stop (#76) on 100 South through Friday, Oct. 9. During this time, the Circulator Route will not stop between the College of Law and Browning stops.
The Blue Route will not operate through Thursday, Oct. 9. Additionally, the Hospital BSB Route will not operate from Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Thursday, Oct. 8.
SAFERIDE
Due to these restrictions, SafeRide will not be able serve locations surrounding Presidents’ Circle on Tuesday, Oct. 7, and Wednesday, Oct. 8. The TapRide app will not allow passengers to select their pick up or drop off location anywhere within the restricted area during these days. The U recommends students to request a ride from the Marriott Library as an alternative. Passengers may experience longer wait times, as the road closures may cause delays.
UTA
UTA bus routes that stop or travel through University Street and 100 South may experience detours or service modifications. Sign up for UTA service alerts to receive emails or text messages about bus detours and service disruptions.
The debate will also have heightened COVID-19 precautions in place.
