The Redwood and Cottonwood parking lots on the Auraria Campus will permanently close on Dec. 24, 2012.

The 404-space Redwood lot, at the intersection of Auraria Parkway and southbound Speer Boulevard, will close for the start of construction of the new CU Denver Academic Building One.The 185-space Cottonwood lot, located off Old Colfax along Cottonwood Street, will close for construction of the MSU Denver athletic complex.

The resulting loss of nearly 600 spaces equates to an almost 10 percent decrease in parking capacity, so daily fee parking will be at a premium starting with the 2013 Spring Semester. However, Auraria Parking and Transportation Services offers parking permits, with guaranteed parking availability, in four campus parking lots: Dogwood, Ginkgo, Juniper and Maple. In addition, the Campus Passport provides non-guaranteed parking at a discounted rate as well as the convenience of never having to obtain a daily fee parking receipt to display on your vehicle dashboard.

For more information on these parking programs and their benefits, contact Auraria Parking and Transportation Services at 303-556-2003 or visit www.ahec.edu/parking.

Parking updates will be provided via Twitter leading up to and during the first weeks of the spring 2013 semester at @AurariaCampus.