Construction on Hillsborough Street will not affect the annual Homecoming parade this year as the parade route has not been altered because of the renovations.

All the work being done will block of the campus’s side of the street, according to Parade Chair Jessica Garland, a junior in business management.

“When people that are watching the parade come from N.C. State, [the street] will be blocked and seem as if they’re not allowed,” she said.

Garland said the success of the Hillsborough Hike is a good judge of how the parade will fare.

“I got reassured by Halloween,” she said. “Everyone was out there anyway. [Construction] didn’t seem to impact them.”

Students can watch the parade from the other side of the street.

“Everyone will have to stand on the vendor side,” Garland said. “It’s going to look more crowded. We’re not going to have benches this year because there’s no room for it.”

Aside from these changes, preparations remain congruous with previous years, according to Jeramy Blackford, the director of student programs for N.C. State Alumni Association.

“We’ve got just as many, if not more, organizations involved this year. There was no one who didn’t want to do the parade because of the construction,” he said.

“The construction on Hillsborough is not a reason to not come,” Garland said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

The committee considered moving the parade to Cates Avenue but decided to keep Hillsborough  Street on the route.

“As everybody knows, Hillsborough Street businesses are really hurt right now,” Blackford said. “The businesses are really adamant about keeping the parade on Hillsborough. It brings in business.”

According to Blackford, a lot of the businesses are already involved in Homecoming in other ways, including donating food for “Wear Red, Get Fed” and letting students paint their storefronts.

Business would not be the only sacrifice of altering the route.

“We brought [the parade] back to Hillsborough Street six years ago,” Blackford said. “It’s kind of become a tradition.”

“It’s important to hold the tradition of having it on Hillsborough Street. That was a big day when they brought it back there,” Homecoming Chair Adam Compton, a senior in agricultural business management, said.

Compton also said he has confidence in the support of the committee’s liaison with the city.

“Of all the stages of construction, the street will be widest,” he said. “They will clean the street and make it look nice. Also, some of the [campus] side spots are starting to open up.”

The width of the street, which impedes traffic, will not affect the parade itself.

“There is enough space for floats or cars,” Garland said. “It will be a little difficult for the bands performing because they can’t be as spread out.”

Excluding these details, the planners anticipate the essentials of the parade remaining unaffected.

“It will still be the parade, just like the past six years,” Blackford said.

“Even with the construction on Hillsborough, the parade will continue to be as good as previous years,” Compton said.