Following months of delays, the University's new 1,200 car Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage, had its first parking spaces filled by cars at 5:30 a.m. this morning.
Construction began on the parking garage 14 months ago and it originally was slated to open in September. The project, however, experienced a series of delays over the past year because of excessive amounts of rain and snow over the past year, said David Sweet, facilities management project manager for the garage.
All students, faculty and staff holding blue, S, S2 or S6 permits are eligible to park in the new garage at no extra charge.
The North Massie parking lot will be completely closed to parking Nov. 15 in order to provide for construction of the new John Paul Jones multipurpose arena. Drivers will be forced to shift to other spaces around University Hall or to the new Emmet/Ivy garage.
Access to the new garage will be via "zip tags," which drivers will attach to the inside of their vehicles. When a driver approaches a gate to enter or exit the garage, an antenna on the gate picks up a signal sent out from the vehicle's zip tag and the gate opens.
According to Parking and Transportation Director Rebecca White, all permit-holders have been informed in writing about the complimentary tags, which can now be picked up at the Parking and Transportation office behind Barracks Road Shopping Center.
At present, 800 tags have been distributed and White said she expects at least 220 more to be picked up prior to the North Massie lot's closing.
While the garage will not be available for hourly visitor parking, on days of football and basketball games spaces not being taken up by permit holders will be made available to the public at a cost of $10 and $5 respectively.
Features of the new garage include six emergency blue lights on each floor and special lighting fixtures designed to limit light pollution from bothering residents in nearby homes.
"For most garages with this lighting plan they've probably cut their refractive light out of the building by 30 percent," said Scott Maulding, project superintendent for the garage's main contractor, Donley's Inc. of Cleveland.
Also significant is the garage's $1.5 million landscaping plan, which included the relocation of a creek and the creation of natural basin to provide for more efficient storm water management, Maulding said.
The opening of the garage today brings with it a major revamping of most University Transit Service bus routes. The blue, green and Central Grounds shuttle routes now will all service the garage, White said.
Buses traveling toward Central Grounds will enter the garage from Emmet Street and then depart its driveway with a left hand turn onto Ivy Road. Those buses traveling towards North Grounds will travel west onto Ivy Road, where they will pick up passengers at an Ivy Road bus stop before proceeding to turn right onto Copeley Road, White said.
The changes will mean that the Lambeth Field Apartments no longer will be serviced by blue route buses until construction of the Emmet Street pedestrian bridge is completed, she said.
Sweet said officials expect the bridge to be finished by March.
Residents of the Lewis Mountain Neighborhood in which the garage is located, initially expressed concern about the size and placement of the new parking garage.
Although Maulding acknowledged that many of the garage's neighbors still are vexed about its presence, he said representatives from the Lewis Mountain Neighborhood Association were pleased with the final product during a special tour of the garage last week.
"The neighborhood was very happy that their input was put into place," he said.
Sweet said the garage will prove a nice addition to the University's landscape.
"I think it's turned out very well," he said. "It's a fine facility for the University."
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