Monday, July 20, 2009
Traffic and parking will be restricted temporarily on parts of Fifth and Sixth streets downtown as crews build a new eight-story parking garage.
The city will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the corner of Sixth and Walnut streets to kick off the construction. The garage, expected to be complete by fall 2010, will include 703 parking spaces, plus about 13,000 square feet of mixed-use retail or office space on the ground level along Walnut Street. About 48 parking spaces will be underground for Columbia Police Department use.
The project, designed by Walker Parking Consultants, is estimated to cost $14 million, funded through special obligation revenue improvement bonds to be repaid through parking revenues.
City leaders have said the aim of the new garage is to alleviate parking problems north of Broadway resulting from the expansion of the Boone County Courthouse and city hall, as well as a shortage of parking spaces for the post office and surrounding businesses.
The existing parking lot directly south of the post office was fenced off today, and there will be no public parking allowed until the garage has been completed on that site. The city encourages motorists to park in the on-street metered spaces or the spots in the Sixth and Cherry streets garage.
Starting today, Fifth Street between Broadway and Walnut Street will become one-way for southbound traffic. There will be no parking on the east side of Fifth Street. Sixth Street will remain a two-way street, but there will be no parking in front of the police station. These restrictions will last about a year, the duration of the construction.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/200 ... will/?news
Traffic and parking will be restricted temporarily on parts of Fifth and Sixth streets downtown as crews build a new eight-story parking garage.
The city will have a groundbreaking ceremony at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the corner of Sixth and Walnut streets to kick off the construction. The garage, expected to be complete by fall 2010, will include 703 parking spaces, plus about 13,000 square feet of mixed-use retail or office space on the ground level along Walnut Street. About 48 parking spaces will be underground for Columbia Police Department use.
The project, designed by Walker Parking Consultants, is estimated to cost $14 million, funded through special obligation revenue improvement bonds to be repaid through parking revenues.
City leaders have said the aim of the new garage is to alleviate parking problems north of Broadway resulting from the expansion of the Boone County Courthouse and city hall, as well as a shortage of parking spaces for the post office and surrounding businesses.
The existing parking lot directly south of the post office was fenced off today, and there will be no public parking allowed until the garage has been completed on that site. The city encourages motorists to park in the on-street metered spaces or the spots in the Sixth and Cherry streets garage.
Starting today, Fifth Street between Broadway and Walnut Street will become one-way for southbound traffic. There will be no parking on the east side of Fifth Street. Sixth Street will remain a two-way street, but there will be no parking in front of the police station. These restrictions will last about a year, the duration of the construction.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/200 ... will/?news
