Connect

Dear University Medical Center team,

We know parking is a top concern for many of you, as it’s something that comes up often during listening sessions with team members. While there are some constraints, we can’t easily change — such as the limitations of constructing new close-in parking structures — we are focused on hearing your feedback and taking meaningful steps to improve the commuting experience. To that end, we wanted to share an update on the actions we’re taking that you will be hearing more about.

Team member parking

• Beginning March 9, we are combining the Blue and Red Bus Lines into a single Purple Line that will connect all Medical Center UTS bus stops to Scott Stadium and the newly constructed Fontaine Research Park Garage.With a single line serving both commuting locations, you’ll be able to catch any Purple Line bus at the end of the day to take you back to your car at Scott Stadium or Fontaine Garage.

For early morning commuters accustomed to the Red Line, the only thing that will change is the color of the bus route. Return service back to Scott Stadium before 2:30 p.m. will continue to be provided by the UTS Orange Line. 

Team members who arrive at 7 a.m. or later will be moving from the Emmet/Ivy Garage to the new Fontaine Research Park Garage located at 1055 Natural Resources Dr. Preliminary schedules for the Purple Line anticipate buses arriving at the stop every 3 to 5 minutes during peak periods. Stay tuned for additional communications on this change later this week.

• To answer common questions and create more transparency, new tools and communications have been introduced that we encourage you to use. This includes a Q&A section on the Parking and Transportation website and new links to information about the Fontaine Research Park Garage and the Purple Line. These sites will be updated with your questions and input. 

• The Wahoo Commute program is a commuter incentive program designed to promote alternative ways to get to UVA. As of last month, more than 150 UVA Health team members are actively participating, earning daily incentives and a chance to win monthly $500 prizes. 

• The real-time location of all Health System Transportation Service shuttles and UTS buses can be tracked both online and with the TransLoc appavailable for Google and Apple devices.

• We have taken measures to revise the close-in parking waitlist system. In the past year, we have moved more team members from the list into assigned spaces than in the previous two years combined.

• Based on your feedback, we created an Extended Shift Parking Form for the 11th Street Garage to provide verification of team members who are occasionally required to stay past their scheduled shifts, particularly during overnight hours or after business hours. This form is also available through the Parking and Transportation website (scroll down).

• We have created a Medical Center Parking and Transportation Advisory Group to problem solve and provide feedback. This group has been instrumental in conveying information from the front lines to leadership and to Parking and Transportation.

• We opened the gates on the South Garage on Crispell Drive, greatly reducing entry and exit times, and allowing the garage to function like our other team member parking locations. Additional parking enforcement has reduced the incidence of unauthorized vehicles parking in the garage.

Patient and Visitor Parking

• To enhance safety and security, work has started to enhance and replace cameras in the Lee Street and 11th Street Garages. We have also begun a project to install new gate technology and equipment for the Lee Street and 11th Street Garages, while identifying other enhancements to remove trip hazards for pedestrians inside the garages.

• We have completed a Parking Garage Technology and Operations Study, with recommendations targeting additional enhancements to improve parking capacity monitoring, wayfinding, and dynamic messaging. These enhancements will inform future parking practices with the goal of improving your experience. 

• We are nearing completion of an update to the Health System Transportation and Parking Plan. Last revised in 2022, this update considers the new parking garages at UVA and forecasts future parking and traffic demand for planned capital expansion projects such as the South Tower buildout.  

Lastly, our parking team is excited to launch the “Next Stop, Better” campaign that will touch all our commuters, because we want to make your days commuting to work a little better. Through this effort, we will demonstrate our appreciation, while bringing a little fun to your commute. Details to follow!

We have other initiatives underway to improve our parking operations, and we look forward to sharing them when they are further along. We take your feedback seriously and we are committed to improving your parking experience.

Thank you for your continued patience as we work to get better. This remains a top priority for our leadership, and we will continue to speak with our teams about how things are going.

Sincerely,

Shenia and Scott

Shenia W. Thompson, MBA, MHA
Interim Chief Operating Officer
Administrator, Hospitality and Support Services
Medical Center Safety and Security Liaison

Scott Silsdorf, PTMP
Executive Director
UVA Parking & Transportation