Area grads turn tassels this weekend

In the Triangle, Campbell University, Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, Shaw University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will all honor graduates on either Saturday or Sunday. 

Drivers headed to those ceremonies should expect heavy traffic, especially at N.C. State, Duke and UNC, where big crowds are expected.

N.C. Central students will turn tassels Saturday morning at O'Kelley-Riddick Stadium in Durham, beginning at 8 a.m. The Latham Parking Deck is the main parking area for visitors. 

In Raleigh, N.C. State students and their families will pack into PNC Arena for an 8:30 a.m. ceremony. There's plenty of parking at the arena, but heavy traffic will hit Wade Avenue and Edwards Mill Road in west Raleigh.

Graduation weekend continues Sunday with commencement exercises at Duke University. About 16,000 guests will gather at Wallace Wade Stadium at 8 a.m. As parking lots fill, officers will redirect drivers to the nearest available spots.

Down the road, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students graduate at Kenan Stadium at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. The school is expecting 30,000 people to attend.

Parts of Stadium Drive and Ridge Road will be closed Sunday, and Raleigh Road gets badly congested during graduation weekend, so consider using Manning Drive or N.C. Highway 86.