By Andre Davancens, Feb. 21, 2023
As of September 2022, a crack has been forming in Parking Structure 1 causing a rising concern amongst students and staff alike who are unable to park due to the damage.
The damage was caused by a student, according to Director of Design and Construction, Jill Chambers, who is a part of Facilities Planning and Management. The student reportedly pulled in and out of the parking space, that the damage is localized around, hitting the retaining wall multiple times.
“It’s not deterioration, there is plenty of that around campus, but this is not that,” Chambers said. “Liability, safety and safety of students is our number one concern. It’s a large part of what I try to keep in mind in all construction. If there was any concern whatsoever, the area would’ve been closed off.”
Multiple parking spaces are blocked off by cones and caution tape in the A section of floors one, two and three; across the floors 12 spaces are cautioned off, including two accessible parking spaces.
“The extent of the damage is specific to the concrete that is crumbling off the edge,” said Director of Parking & Transportation Services, Mike Yu. “We’re not concerned that the structure is going to fall down, but we’re concerned that pieces of the concrete are going to fall and hit cars that are parked on that level and all the way down to the bottom.”
The repair process was started when the incident was reported back in September and is being paid for by insurance, which is part of the reason for the delay in repair. A licensed structural engineer completed their recommendation for repairs in November and provided facilities with an engineering estimate on Feb.13.
“Those findings then get reported to the insurance company that covers our parking structure, goes through the claims process, then we find the contractor that’s able to perform the repairs,” Yu said. “There’s a lot of moving pieces to it, and that’s why it takes a little bit longer than one would hope to get things like that fixed.”
Construction can begin once facilities are provided with the funding to repair the structure. In the meantime, further deterioration of the parking structure is not a “concern to our professionals.”
The structural integrity of Parking Structure 1 is not considered to be at risk within the time frame that the repair process would take to complete.
There is currently no start date scheduled for repairs. While waiting on repairs, Yu recommends that students do not move the cones from the affected areas to prevent debris from damaging their vehicles.
Feature image by Andre Davancens
