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UPDATED INFORMATION:

As of August 2016, construction on the new parking garage directly east of the medical towers is expected to be completed in spring 2017.

For updated information on this project, click here. [/bs_well]

Construction on a new, 6-story parking garage will begin Oct. 14, 2015, and is scheduled to open in fall 2016. The new garage, located east of the South Medical Tower (student housing building) and north of Shoreline student housing buildings, will house approximately 1,000 parking stalls for Health Sciences employees and students living on campus.

While the garage is under construction, 200 parking stalls in the lot east of the Medical Towers will be closed. Campus residents and hospital staff whose vehicles are displaced while the garage is under construction will be redirected to the lots directly east and west of the construction site. Additionally, some permit changes will be implemented to disperse vehicles more effectively. Those affected will be notified via email, signs will be posted at the impacted lots and the details are outlined below.

“In order to balance the need to provide adequate parking with the desire to preserve green space on campus, we have focused on building parking garages,” said Alma Allred, director of Commuter Services. “Through a comprehensive research and planning process, this location was chosen to provide concentrated parking options for campus residents and hospital staff who have lost significant parking options over the last several years to new buildings.”

In addition to strategically improving parking options, Commuter Services continues to work closely with Salt Lake City and Utah Transit Authority to improve alternative and public transportation options. All faculty, staff and students can use their UCards to ride UTA FrontRunnter, TRAX and most busses, and most athletics tickets also serve as UTA fare.

Because the construction site includes the ADA-accessible parking for residents of the South Medical Tower, a new accessible sidewalk will be built between the towers before the end of October. During construction, residents may park in the lot east of the North Medical Tower and will be able to use the new sidewalk to access the South Tower.

The garage will cost about $13.6 million and is paid for by Commuter Services, which is funded primarily by parking permit fees.

Permit changes (see map):

Medical Towers residents will retain Zone 3 parking permits and may also use any remaining Zone 3 stalls in lot 73.

Housing and Residential Education residents’ Zone 3 permits will be converted to Zone 1 and their parking area shifted south to available Zone 1 parking stalls.

Visitors to either area may park in lot 72, located north of the North Tower, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., as well as in metered stalls in the surrounding area.

ADA parking will be available on the east side of the North Tower and an ADA-accessible pathway will be added to the South Tower.

U Permit holders should be advised that 52 stalls in lot 66 will be converted to Zone 3 permits for the duration of the construction. This will provide overflow parking to Tower residents.

construction. This will provide overflow parking to Tower residents.

Replacement parking for “A” permit holders who are displaced during construction will be offered at the Central Garage and LDSI Garage. “A” permit holders who are displaced due to construction can call our office directly (801-581-6415) to upgrade to a Central Garage permit, at no additional cost; and, “A” permits are valid in two levels of the LDS Garage. In addition to supplementary parking, Commuter Services changed the orange shuttle route to run from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. on an express route between the Heritage Center and  the Central Garage. This allows displaced  “A” permit holders to park in the Central Garage or the LDSI Garage and shuttle to the Heritage Center, which is the most convenient shuttle stop near the new garage construction site.

Replacement parking for “U” permit holders will be offered at the LDSI Garage or an option will be made available to upgrade from a “U” permit to a “CU” permit which would allow parking in the Central Garage.

Additional options for U and A permit holders who have been displaced:
-“E”, “U” and “A” permits are valid in the Guardsman Way lot. The yellow shuttle route is a 15-20 minute express route which runs directly from Guardsman Way to the hospital.
-“U” and “A” permits are valid in the Stadium lot. The Stadium TRAX line runs every 15 minutes and offers three stops along the route to the hospital –  University South Campus, Fort Douglas and University Medical Center. For more details please visit rideuta.com.

To ensure the continued safety of residents, Campus Security, 801-585-2677, provides on-call security assistance to escort residents to vehicles and shuttle stops surrounding the Towers. For parking information, click here.