Red dirt alert!

Recent construction on the Cavalier Marching Band’s new rehearsal hall (foreground) has caused a few headaches for Rugby Road drivers. Culbreth Road, a popular shortcut between University Avenue and Rugby Road, was closed to through traffic for five weeks between February and March, which led to a lot of U-turns in the nearby Zeta Psi fraternity parking lot and congestion from Beta Bridge to University Avenue. A spokesperson for UVA’s Facilities Management says construction on the Hunter Smith Band Building is more than 75 percent complete. It will serve as an indoor rehearsal site for the band, whose outdoor practices are often canceled in cases of inclement weather. Construction of the hall, funded by a $10.7 million gift from long-time University donor Hunter J. Smith, should conclude this summer, much to the relief of Rugby Road drivers. Along with her late football-loving husband Carl, Smith provided $1.5 million to finance the Cavalier Marching Band, and contributed $23 million in 1997 to the expansion of Scott Stadium.