Heavy Traffic Expected Sunday For Rutgers Graduation

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Be warned: Rutgers' graduation ceremonies this Sunday will bring a severe traffic backlog to many local roads in and around New Brunswick. With an estimated 17,729 graduates, plus thousands of family members, friends and well-wishers gathered to hear commencement speaker Steven Van Zandt, a crowd as large as 50,000 might fill High Point Solutions stadium in Piscataway for the free event. Commencement always draws much additional traffic to the area.

This Sunday, May 14, travelers should expect delays on local streets and on Rt. 18 in the vicinity of New Brunswick and Piscataway. Roadways including College Avenue, George Street, River Road, Hoes Lane, Metlars Lane and the John Lynch and Landing Lane bridges all will experience heavy traffic. Also, expect heavy traffic on George Street in New Brunswick on Monday May 15 during the School of Environmental & Biological Sciences convocation, which will be held from 10 a.m. to noon.

Rutgers' 251st anniversary commencement will begin, rain or shine, at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 14, at High Point Solutions Stadium on the Busch Campus in Piscataway. The ceremony, with Steven Van Zandt delivering the keynote address, is expected to conclude around 11:30 p.m. and will be followed by the School of Arts and Sciences convocation in the football stadium, from 12:30 p.m. to around 2:30 p.m., and the School of Engineering convocation in the Rutgers Athletic Center from 1 p.m. to around 3 p.m.

To help with traffic flow, visitors driving to commencement should display their hangtags for designated parking lots and obey all police and traffic safety officers. For complimentary shuttle bus information, visit commencement.rutgers.edu/parking-guidelines. Mass transportation options and carpools are strongly encouraged.