With summer fast approaching, NIU parking permits may not be as much of a worry for students and faculty this year.

Besides the added heat, students sticking around for summer will have more flexible parking to look forward to.

During the summer months, students will be able to park in any student lot brown, yellow, green or orange, as long as they have a summer parking permit, said Ron Pearson, coordinator of parking and traffic.

Blue lots still will be reserved for faculty, just as they are now.

As for meters, they still will be surveyed and enforced, Pearson said.

However, the visitor parking lot on Carroll Avenue will be under construction this summer, so a new lot will be assigned temporarily.

“There will be a temporary visitor lot in Lot D, on the west side of Neptune,” Pearson said. “It will be available for anyone who pays the daily visitor fee, $5.”

The lot on Carroll Avenue will be improved to bring more efficient service for the fall. It will have a new phone booth and a new entrance.

Construction projects going on this summer won’t stop there.

Gilbert Drive will be closed for reconstruction to improve bus traffic and to repair pot holes, Pearson said.

By fall, Pearson expects to have both projects completed for an improved traffic environment for both students and faculty to enjoy.

For information on obtaining a summer parking permit, call Campus Parking at 753-1045.