UK employees can apply by Nov. 16 for 500 new spaces in the Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Garage. A USDA lab will take about 500 Orange Lot spaces at Kroger Field.

The University of Kentucky will open about 500 new employee parking spaces in its Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Garage in December, earlier than planned. The move makes up for about 500 spaces UK expects to lose in the Kroger Field Orange Lot, the university said Friday.

The Orange Lot spaces will go to make room for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forage Animal Production Research Lab on South Campus. Construction is expected to start in late 2026 or early 2027, UK said.

Employees who want one of the new garage spaces must apply by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16.

The new garage spaces

The garage is also known as Parking Structure 9. UK said:

  • the new spaces are on the lower three levels, close to the healthcare campus
  • they are core (E9) employee spaces, at $63 a month
  • access starts in December, or by Jan. 4, 2027, at the latest
  • employees will not pay the higher rate in December; new permit fees start in January
  • employee parking is reached from Conn Terrace; construction parking is separate, off Elizabeth Street

Who gets a space

Spaces are not handed out first come, first served. UK said seniority, measured by an employee’s UK service date, is the main factor.

Employees who work west of South Limestone, or whose shifts end after 6 p.m., get extra consideration. Current Hilltop Avenue Garage and UK HealthCare Garage permit holders can also apply. If more people apply than there are spaces, UK will keep a waitlist based mainly on seniority.

Employees offered a space have until Friday, Dec. 4, to return their current permit and accept the upgrade.

Limits until 2028

The Cancer and Advanced Ambulatory Building itself is not due to be finished until 2028. Until then, UK said:

  • the garage has no ADA-accessible spaces and no elevator access
  • the pedway over South Limestone to Chandler Hospital is closed
  • people walking to Chandler Hospital cross Conn Terrace at Elizabeth Street, go through the UK HealthCare Hospital Garage and use the existing bridge to Pavilion A

Extra ADA spaces are in the 138 Leader Ave. Lot and the Ag North Temporary Lot, UK said.

UK expects, but does not guarantee, that employees chosen now will keep a space in the garage once the building opens. Their area will probably move to the upper levels so patients can use the lower ones.

Other spaces added this year

UK said it has added more than 150 employee spaces since the fall semester started, mostly on South Campus, including the Elizabeth Street South Lot. It also added employee spaces in the North and South Red lots before the fall.

What it means for you

If you work at UK and park in the Orange Lot, apply before 5 p.m. Nov. 16 if you want a garage space. Questions go to UK Transportation Services at transportation@uky.edu.

Separately, utility work for the Chandler Hospital expansion is closing University Drive overnight and narrowing Cooper Drive for up to two weeks. Those closures, and the roughly 75 North Red Lot spaces they take, are on our Lexington road closures page.