So, I was watching your game today and saw a few Arial Shots of your campus itself and I have a question I'm sure you knew was coming....

Is that an... interstate...running smack dab through the middle of campus?

Yes. Interstate 81 runs between the old campus and the new campus. The stadium sits beside the interstate itself within the old campus (student dorms, etc.). Quite the view when traveling through.

There is a bridge that connects the two campuses.


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(12-04-2021 10:03 PM)hburg Wrote:  Yes. Interstate 81 runs between the old campus and the new campus. The stadium sits beside the interstate itself within the old campus (student dorms, etc.). Quite the view when traveling through.

There is a bridge that connects the two campuses.


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There is also a pedestrian tunnel underneath, so it really pretty easy to get from one side to the other.

Let's not tell them about the train tracks that run through campus on the old side...

Oh yeah forgot about those two landmarks hehe.

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The first time I drove from Boone to Washington D.C. via I-81, I was confused when passing under a bridge that said 'James Madison' on it. It's one of those moments where you stumble on something and you think "Oh, so this is where that place is."

Also have US Route 11 that runs through the current campus. When I was there Route 11 was more or less the western border and I-81 the eastern border. There were a couple of buildings on the other side of each (our old arena), but the vast majority were between those two. The campus has about doubled in size and enrollment since I graduated in the mid 80s.

Interstate 81 runs through the middle of the city of Harrisonburg (East/West) and just happens to split JMU into East/West campuses.

This was not so much the case 25 years ago. The East campus is where much of the growth has taken place (College of Integrated Science and Technology), Bank Center, East Dining Hall, Dorms.

One nice thing about 81 being close is that travel to/from JMU is easy for family/students/alum

DC to JMU 66/81
Richmond to JMU 64/81
PA/NY go North on 81

At some point you will see an Ol' Dirty U poster call JMU, "Truck Stop U" because 81 moves a lot of 18 wheelers

I see 81 as a moving PR opportunity, tens of thousands of cars drive through a purple and gold tailgate

The only real issues I have seen is that football games can jam right lane traffic at exit 245

(12-05-2021 08:22 AM)Purplehazed Wrote:  Interstate 81 runs through the middle of the city of Harrisonburg (East/West) and just happens to split JMU into East/West campuses.

This was not so much the case 25 years ago. The East campus is where much of the growth has taken place (College of Integrated Science and Technology), Bank Center, East Dining Hall, Dorms.

One nice thing about 81 being close is that travel to/from JMU is easy for family/students/alum

DC to JMU 66/81
Richmond to JMU 64/81
PA/NY go North on 81

At some point you will see an Ol' Dirty U poster call JMU, "Truck Stop U" because 81 moves a lot of 18 wheelers

I see 81 as a moving PR opportunity, tens of thousands of cars drive through a purple and gold tailgate

The only real issues I have seen is that football games can jam right lane traffic at exit 245

That’s the way I saw it. As long as there was a way for pedestrians to get across to the other side without sprinting for their lives, it’s probably advantageous except for the traffic during football games

Haha...that would be like squid game.

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