Street closures for Friday night football game
August 26, 2025 8:17 AM

Dear faculty and staff,

Our Fighting Illini football team will host Western Illinois University at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29. Street closures in advance of the game may disrupt your regular commute, and you might anticipate more traffic than usual if you are driving on campus Friday afternoon. 

Game Day Street Closures

The following closures start at noon Friday:

• Kirby Avenue between First Street and Fourth Street
• First Street between Kirby Avenue and Peabody Drive 
• Peabody Drive between First Street and Fourth Street 
• Fourth Street between Kirby Avenue and Peabody Drive 

The following closures start at 4 p.m. Friday:

• Kirby Avenue eastbound at Oak Street
• First Street between Stadium Drive and St. Mary’s Road
• Pennsylvania Avenue between Fourth and Sixth Streets (access to the E-15 parking structure will be maintained.)

Parking Information and Reduced Meter Availability

All university employees with parking permits on a closed route will be allowed to park in their normal lots and will be able to leave at the end of their workdays.  

In addition, parking meter availability will be reduced in the following locations and times:

Limited parking meter availability beginning after 5 p.m. Thursday: 

• Stadium Drive
• Peabody Avenue from First Street to Sixth Street 
• Pennsylvania Avenue from Fourth Street to Sixth Street 
• Fourth Street from Kirby Avenue to Gregory Drive

Limited parking meter availability beginning at 2:30 p.m. Friday: 

• Sixth Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Armory Avenue
• Pennsylvania Avenue from Sixth Street to Lincoln Avenue  

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. Details about game day are available on the Fighting Illini Athletics website. If you don’t already have plans to attend the game, I encourage you to join us.

Sincerely,

Lowa Mwilambwe
Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration and Operations