Dealing with Lot 20 just became more difficult. Due to construction on the parking structure, parking in the garage has become a hassle.
The parking lot is undergoing some changes to account for new seismic standards implemented by the California State University. An elevator is also being added to the northwest corner of the lot.
With staircases blocked and equipment being transported in, students are finding it difficult to find a parking space.
“The construction is causing problems because they take up all the spaces,” said Jasmin Denoga, a Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts major.
The construction project will be divided into four parts: elevator construction, which has already started; additional lot renovation, set to begin May 23 will cause parking to be even more limited; expansion of the pedestrian walkway, expected to begin early summer; and the regrading of the service road to Lot 20, beginning in June.
At this stage, walls are being repaired and reinforced, which will require various rows of parking spaces to be taped off and put out of use.
“What we’re doing right now is using cement to strengthen the walls,” said Gustavo Manjarrez, construction foreman. “What it does is make these walls safer and less likely to fall in the event of an earthquake.”
Each part of the repair and reinforcement process, however, is only expected to last a few days at a time. This segment of the project will last three more days, freeing up parking spaces thereafter.
According the Capital Planning, Design, and Construction department, not only will Lot 20 itself be blocked off, but the garage off North State Drive will no longer be accessible by pedestrians and cars throughout construction, except on Commencement Day.
With finals approaching, some students are worried about making it to class on time.
“It’s probably going to be so complicated,” said Khaledh Tahan, child and adolescent development major. “I expect there’s going to be a lot of people running around and showing up late to their finals.”
Manjarrez said that students do not have to worry about parking for long, as construction will mostly be in different areas every day.
“We’re almost done here, so we’re going to be out of the way,” Manjarrez said. “It’s not going to take long before we get out and do some work on other places on campus.”
The CPDC says the renovations will improve access to the main campus, but students still think the timeframe of the project unnecessarily impedes on their travel time.
“There’s stuff everywhere, and you pull up and see it’s not really a space, so you have to keep driving,” Tahan said. “I don’t even see why they have to do this now. It’s hard to get around.”
The entire project is expected to be completed in September.
