The University's new $15 million Ivy Road-Emmet Street parking garage now will not be completed until late October due to construction delays, University administrators announced earlier this month. Despite the postponement, students should not anticipate a parking disaster upon their return to Grounds this week.
University administrators said they had hoped to have the garage completed by the end of next month, but the past year's poor weather conditions have forced the garage's estimated date of completion to be extended. There also were a number of delays due to the need for additional traffic impact studies before garage construction could begin.
"An unusually large amount of snow and rain has delayed the construction," said David Sweet, facilities management project manager for the garage.
He added that construction workers have been and will continue to work overtime until they complete the project.
However, a contingency plan is in place to deal with the impending parking crunch, according to University Parking and Transportation Director Rebecca White. Returning students and individuals visiting Grounds for athletic events still will be able to find relatively convenient places to park without the new garage's 1,200 spots available.
With only 250 spaces left on the side of Massie Road near the new multipurpose arena's construction site, parking officials have worked to compress all demand on the west side of University Hall and the Cage lot by Onesty Hall, White said.
"Right now there are 600 to 700 open spaces at [University] Hall," she said. "We expect when the students come back there will be 600 to 700 spots needed."
In order to prepare football fans for lost parking spaces due to the garage delay and new arena construction, White said University Parking and Transportation sent a press release to media outlets throughout Virginia in order to educate fans about convenient parking alternatives around Grounds and Charlottesville. The University's first home football game is scheduled for Saturday against Duke.
She said fans still may attempt to park at University Hall, but will likely find those spaces filled by students traditionally forced out of spots near Scott Stadium on game days. Another option is first-come, first-serve parking for free at the University's Fontaine Research Park.
Paid reserved parking will be available at the Medical Center south garage or in city garages by the Downtown Mall, where fans can take a shuttle to Scott Stadium. Shuttles will run continuously before, during and after games, a University press release said.
If the new garage does open in late October as officials now anticipate, fans will be able to park for free in the garage during the football season's final two home games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in order to introduce them to the new facility, White said.
"We'll use it for the last few games of the season no charge," she said. "It's pretty hard to change people's [parking] patterns mid-season."
Before October, workers must still complete aesthetic "finish" and electrical work in the garage, the paving of driveways at the garage site, turn lanes at Ivy Road and Emmet Street, and a new traffic signal at Ivy Road, Sweet said.
When the garage finally does open, White said students with an "S" parking permit will have the option of parking at either University Hall or the new garage for the same price.
"It's gonna be tight for the first couple months of school," she said.
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