URBANA — With a unique Friday night home opener to kickoff the Fighting Illini football season, the University of Illinois Police Department wants to remind University employees and football fans of the traffic patterns and parking lot regulations that will be in effect on Sept. 4.

Kickoff between the Fighting Illini and Kent State is at 8 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. It is expected that football fans will arrive much earlier than that for tailgating activities.

Police are working closely with Campus Parking and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable environment for all University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign employees, fans and others passing through campus on game day.

Drivers should be aware of street closures that could affect their daytime travel:

Kirby Avenue will be closed between First Street and Fourth Street starting at 9 a.m. and will remain closed until after the completion of the game.

First Street between Peabody Avenue and Kirby Avenue will close at 11 a.m. to accommodate food vendors as part of the inaugural Grange Grove opening. First Street will remain closed until after the completion of the game. First Street between Stadium Drive and Peabody Avenue will close at 4:30 p.m.

Peabody Avenue between First Street and Fourth Street will close starting at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and will remain closed until after the completion of the game. 

Football parking procedures also will change to accomodate those who are working at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Full information on parking lot availability can be found at FightingIllini.com.

For more information regarding game day at Memorial Stadium be sure to visithttp://fightingillini.com/footballgameday.