Busy weekend on the roads in Waterloo and Guelph as students move in

Roads in Waterloo Region and Guelph will be busy this weekend as thousands of college and university students move into their residences for the upcoming school year.

First-year students at the University of Waterloo were required to book a move-in time between Thursday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, Wilfrid Laurier University students living in residence at the Waterloo campus will move in between Friday and Sunday, with timeslots assigned based on which building they will soon be calling home.

University of Guelph students have only two days to move in – either Friday or Saturday.

“It’s a little chaotic, but it’s also running pretty smoothly and it’s a lot of fun,” Pamela Hurvid, the University of Waterloo’s manager of marketing and communications for campus housing, told CTV News.

University officials say it is a hectic time around campus as students start to explore their new temporary homes.

“This is a big transition,” explained Melinda Scott, the University of Guelph’s provost of student affairs.

She shared this advice for first-years.

“Give yourself some grace, it’s normal to be a little more nervous, to have a little anxiety, but also to push yourself to try new things, to get involved and really try to immerse yourself in campus life.”

Students aren’t the only ones feeling a little overwhelmed.

“I’m so excited for her. I had such a great time in university,” Michelle said as she helped her daughter Gabriella move in at the University of Guelph. “I know it’s going to be fun for her. I’m maybe going to be [a] Niagara Falls of tears when I drive home.”

“We’ve been packing for months and buying everything. It’s a lot of fun. I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life,” Gabriella added.

“I’m holding it together, but this is very different from when we went to university years ago,” her dad David said. “They’re way more organized.”

For some students, the process has helped set the tone for the rest of Orientation Week.

“Everyone was really kind. Everyone was really swift with everything and we got to our dorm in a few minutes,” said first-year University of Waterloo student Michael.

With 5,000 students expected to move into University of Waterloo housing alone, the school has developed a multi-day plan to try to spread out the traffic congestion.

“We found that was actually a much smoother experience. So we’ve actually kept that model where [move-in] is over four days. People can move-in on days that align with their schedule the best,” Hurvid said.

Temporary Road Closure and Restrictions

The City of Waterloo has announced a road closure and several traffic restrictions near university residences to try to ease congestion. The temporary measures will be in place from Friday at 7 a.m. until Sunday at 6 p.m.

Seagram Drive

• Road closed

No parking

• Lester Street from Seagram Drive to University Avenue
• Ezra Avenue from Clayfield Avenue to King Street
• Bricker Avenue from Clayfield Avenue to King Street
• Marshall Street from Brighton Street o Regina Street
• Regina Street from Hickory Street to University Avenue

Bricker Ave

• No right turn onto Albert Street

Ezra Avenue

• No left turn from Ezra Avenue onto Albert Street

Wilfrid Laurier University Entrance across from Hazel Street

• No left turns from University Avenue West to Wilfrid Laurier University entrance

Lester Street

• Lester Street will be reduced to one land of northbound traffic only from Seagram Drive to University Avenue West
• No access to Lester Street from University Avenue West
• No left turns onto University Avenue West from Lester Street

Sunview Street

• No left turns from University Avenue West to Sunview Street

A map of temporary traffic restrictions in place from Aug. 30 at 7 a.m. until Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. (Courtesy: City of Waterloo)