Work begins on University Street parking garage later than foreseen

By Morgan Conklin
Summer Reporter

Maintenance work has begun on the University Street parking garage, nearly a month after workers closed off the south side.

The University was originally informed that the repairs would begin on May 14; however, the bid was accepted later than expected and work began June 8, said Mike Jasper, manager of parking facilities.

As a public institution, Purdue is required to publicize the type of work that needs to be done on various areas of campus, which is known as a bidding process, said Jasper. Companies make bids on what they believe the necessary work will cost to complete. After reviewing the bids, the University will choose the company that made the most competitive bid relevant to the work necessary.

The maintenance work is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 3, before students and faculty return for the fall semester. During the next two months, maintenance workers will be replacing damaged concrete, cleaning the decks and sealing the concrete to keep salt from harming it.

Structural engineer Brad Bowen said barring any unforeseen problems, the garage will be available for parking by the first day of classes. "Even if the garage maintenance has not been fully completed, we will make sure that the bulk of the work has been completed so vehicles can occupy it," he said.

This type of maintenance work is typically done during the summer months and to any garage in need of repair. "Our policy is to maintain the garages as best we can to extend the life of the structures," said Jasper.

The Marstellar Street parking garage is also undergoing maintenance. The repairs at this garage are more extensive because the garage is older, said Bowen.

The maintenance work at Marstellar Street will include among basic concrete repairs, water proofing of the membrane on the top deck of the garage. Repairs for this garage began earlier this summer and are expected to be completed by Aug. 3 as well.

Work begins on University Street parking garage later than foreseen

County fair takes cautious measures

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Purdue Exponent 2001