MBU to Close Hunt Drive to Traffic

In an effort to improve safety for students and neighbors, and in collaboration with the City of Staunton, Mary Baldwin University (MBU) will close Hunt Drive to traffic beginning January 31, 2020.

Hunt Drive runs directly behind Lyda B. Hunt Dining Hall on the MBU campus, connecting Sycamore Street to Market Street, which are both public roadways. The primary purpose of the private lane is to service the dining hall.

Traffic studies conducted by city officials on Sycamore Street in 2019 showed that the volume of traffic on the road was far in excess of what the road was designed to handle each day, and that much of the traffic was entering the road from Hunt Drive or accessing Hunt Drive from Sycamore Street.

“Mary Baldwin invested in this solution because it was clear to us that pedestrians, motorists, and neighbors would be safer if we limited traffic on Hunt Drive,” said Brig. Gen. Teresa Djuric, special advisor to the president and commandant of cadets for the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership, who oversees facilities for the university. “We encourage motorists to find an alternate route to safely navigate, and in some cases, circumnavigate, the MBU campus.”

MBU will install keypad-controlled gates near both entrances of Hunt Drive, allowing access for large-scale deliveries, garbage trucks, as well as for emergency and authorized campus vehicles. Delivery drivers for smaller, individual food orders and others wishing to access Woodson Residence Hall by car will need to make alternative arrangements by using the adjacent Spencer Residence Hall parking lot.

Hunt Drive will be opened to through traffic as needed, including for special events, such as student move in/move out days and Commencement. Installation of the gates is scheduled to take place the week of January 20.