LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – It is gearing up to be another exciting Caturday in the Bluegrass as the cats will face off against the Gamecocks of South Carolina, but some fans say some parking changes are putting a damper on tailgating.

With construction set to happen for the new USDA building in the Orange Lot next to Kroger Field, there is less parking for the tailgaters and some fans are seeing the bigger impact this can have on the tailgating experience.

For Michael Mays and Matthew Elam, tailgating in the Orange lot at Kroger Field is more than just a good time.

“Our parents actually started it, and we’ve just carried it on, so 20 years going, and we’re gonna keep it going,” Elam said.

However, with new construction taking away some parking spots in the orange lot, it’s leaving the pair with several questions.

“It’s been interesting, to say the least. Just to not know exactly what’s going on, to risk putting our tailgate stuff up without exactly knowing when constructions gonna happen, if it’s gonna happen and exactly where,” said Elam.

Officials with UK Athletics say they undersold Orange Lot parking by hundreds of spots so no fans would be displaced once construction began.

Tailgators like Chandler Hayhurst say they are already feeling the effects of less parking.

“It’s been a little slow, tailgate-wise,” Hayhurst said. We make money off of it. We run it for fun but as well as for business, but people complain about parking constantly. I had to park three miles away from our tailgate last game.”

UK fan Richard Grevious says people are finding ways to work through it.

“We knew that it was going to be more troublesome to get parking passes here now more than ever. In terms of coming out here to tailgate, I know a lot of people I know are using rideshare apps in order to get out here,” Griev

UK officials add that they were only told by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture that construction would begin in the fall but they have no details other than that.

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