UConn Dairy Bar guests will temporarily be making new “husky tracks” to the renowned ice cream parlor this summer, as a nearby construction project prompts traffic detours in the area.

The summertime project involves replacing the aging steam and water distribution lines that serve several UConn academic and residential buildings on the eastern side of campus.

Several areas will be inaccessible to vehicle traffic during the construction, including the intersection of Route 195 and Horsebarn Hill Extension, which has been the primary access to the Dairy Bar for years.

As part of the detours:

• Regular traffic and buses traveling on Route 195 to the Dairy Bar will enter on the eastbound access road just north of UConn’s Bio Science Complex. The road will be limited to one-way traffic.
• Vehicles will park on the left in the parking lot slightly east of UConn’s historic yellow dairy barn. Some limited parking will also be available in a smaller lot adjacent to the south side of the barn.
• Visitors arriving by bus will be dropped off at the far end of the brick building on the right known as the Agricultural Biotechnology Laboratory (colloquially known as the “big banana” building for its curved shape).
• Patrons from passenger vehicles and buses will be guided by signs along a path around the “big banana” building and the smaller adjacent “little banana” building (formally known as the Advanced Technology Laboratory) to the Dairy Bar.
• Passenger vehicles will exit by driving along Horsebarn Hill Road, giving them a picturesque view of campus from the hilltop and close views of the animal barns as they return to Route 195.
• Vehicles with valid handicap placards will be directed to take Gurleyville Road to Horsebarn Hill Road. Then they will turn left and go through a parking area behind the Wilfred B. Young Building, also known as the School of Agriculture building, and directly to handicap-only reserved parking at the Dairy Bar.

A map and information about the detours is also being posted on various UConn social media pages and circulated to media outlets in the region throughout the summer.

The detours are expected to continue into August, depending on progress at the construction sites, but will conclude before the start of the fall semester on Aug. 29.

The Dairy Bar is one of UConn’s most popular visitor destinations year round, serving ice cream, cheese, eggs, and other products from UConn’s animals. More than 200,000 visitors stop by each year.

It is especially popular each summer with families on day trips, children’s groups on field trips, social groups on excursions, and people in the region who enjoy getting ice cream and visiting UConn’s farm animals.

The Dairy Bar is open each day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. all summer except for Independence Day, and visitors can often watch the ice cream being made through the observation window between about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays.