It’s time to hone your defensive driving skills. Indiana University freshmen and other students will move in on campus starting Sunday, August 18, through Tuesday, August 20.
While we all look forward to the start of football season and seeing Kirkwood Avenue come alive with the excitement of IU’s freshmen, move-in week is undoubtedly a stressful time for Bloomington residents and IU parents as they navigate Bloomington’s traffic-clogged and often confusing streets (be prepared for cars driving the wrong way on East Sixth Street).
As move-in day draws ever closer and the city summer draws to a close, here is a reminder of the key dates, areas and streets to keep in mind during IU move-in days.
When is move-in day for Indiana University?
Move-in for the majority of Indiana University students will occur Sunday, August 18, through Tuesday, August 20.
Smaller groups of students move in the week before. On Sunday, August 11, participants of the intensive seminar for freshmen, special early arrivals and some international students move in.
Additional international students will move in on Tuesday, August 13, and select “university-sponsored groups” will move in on Friday, August 16.
Students in these early move-in groups will use a central check-in at the Indiana Memorial Union (IMU), so expect additional traffic on Seventh Street on these days.
For students not moving into dorms, classes at IU begin on Monday, August 26, and many leases close in the first or second week of August, meaning seniors are already starting to trickle into the city.
Which streets might experience traffic jams on Indiana University’s move-in day?
Most of IU’s dormitories are located on Third and 10th Streets and Fee Lane.
Students will be given 15 minutes to unload their belongings in the fire lanes in front of their residence halls before parking for the remainder of the day on Atwater Avenue or in the East parking garage on Eagleson Avenue. This will likely cause congestion on Third Street and Fee Lane as lines form to unload vehicles.
If you live downtown and want to head toward College Mall, consider taking Hillside Drive or Second Street instead of Third Street. If you live on the beltway, expect a little more traffic at the intersections of 10th and Walnut Streets.
And if you live anywhere in Bloomington, you should drive especially carefully on one-way streets like Sixth Street and North Walnut Street, as these streets often confuse newcomers unfamiliar with the city’s streets (you might want to keep an extra tight grip on your steering wheel at the Third-Dunn-Atwater-Indiana intersection).
Will Indiana Avenue remain closed during IU’s move-in?
Yes. Construction on Indiana Avenue, which begins just past Kirkwood Avenue, is expected to continue beyond August 18. The city is repairing a sewer line that runs from the Campus River through downtown.
So unless you’re already planning on avoiding Kirkwood because of the crowds, expect a flood of cars rolling between Seventh Street and the street.
Reach Brian Rosenzweig at [email protected]Follow him on Twitter/X at @brianwritesnews.
