Beginning in fall 2019, an existing parking lot near Pullen Road will allow NC State students, faculty and staff to park for free. This new parking location will be called the “Spring Hill Park & Ride.”
Bus route two, which circles from Centennial to Main Campus, will make a stop at the new lot, NC State transportation planner Byron Bryant said.
Spring Hill Park, a portion of the larger Dorothea Dix Park, served students in the spring of 2018, but only those on Centennial Campus due to the lack of connection to main campus, Bryant stated.
“The route two was formed last spring of 2018,” Byron said. “It was a parking ride route from this lot to Centennial, and now it will be a parking ride route for both campuses in fall 2019.”
In December 2018, the city of Raleigh opened the Pullen Road extension connecting main campus to Centennial, which allowed for more accessible transportation between both campuses without travelling through Avent Ferry Road and crossing Western Boulevard.
Spring Hill Park is the second free parking lot for NC State students, following Carter-Finley Stadium, which also offers free parking and transportation to and from main campus. The new Pullen lot provides the same service but for those who might be entering campus from a different direction.
Yolanda Jones, communication manager at NCSU Transportation, said the decision came in light of the absence of a free lot that was accessible to those who cannot commute from Carter-Finley as easily.
“We knew we did not have a free option on this corridor in that area, so it is something that helps service a free option for that area,” Jones said.
According to Jones, NC State shares the parking spaces at Carter-Finley with Go Triangle buses. Carter Finley is a large area and provides more than what Spring Hill Park will have to offer.
“I do not want to say that Carter-Finley has infinite space, but there is obviously more space than what will be on Centennial,” Jones said.
The Pullen parking lot has approximately 250 spots and will not permit overnight parking, according to Jones.
“Just keep in mind that this is a first come, first serve,” Jones said. “It is open to staff and students. Anyone can use the parking lot.”
Bryant said that the university tries to provide ways that make commuting to campus cheaper.
“We are trying to promote alternative transportation,” Bryant said. “We did not have to invest much into this lot, so for now we are presenting it as a free parking route option.”
