A one-block one-way section of South Central Street next to the State Street Garage will be closed, beginning Monday, Oct. 29, as expansion of the garage moves into the next phase.
Southbound motorists will not be able to access avenues south of the garage or the ramp onto Neyland Drive from Central Street. They will be able to access the north entrance into the garage off Union Avenue.
Through-traffic motorists heading south should detour to Gay Street or Hill Avenue to reach destinations throughout downtown, or take Hall of Fame Drive to access Neyland Drive.
Up until now, the construction preparation work for adding two new decks to the State Street Garage has been barely noticeable. Crews have been installing micropiles to strengthen the support structure and digging a pit on the northeast corner of the garage for a new elevator.
But the nature of the work will intensify, starting next week.
Central Street will be closed between Union and Clinch avenues through the rest of this year. A large crane will arrive and be set in place next week, and that crane will begin hoisting large slabs of prefabricated concrete as two new parking decks are built.
The City's $11 million expansion will add 570 new parking spaces in the heart of downtown.
The first phase of work will be winding down just before the December holidays. Then, in January, South Central Street will reopen, and the crane will be relocated to the west side of the garage, closing at least one lane of State Street.
The garage expansion is scheduled to be completed in June 2019.
Downtown visitors will feel the temporary loss of parking spaces during construction. At first, slightly more than half the garage’s current 1,082 spaces will be unavailable; 528 spaces will remain in use. The number of available spaces will fluctuate throughout the project, based on safety precautions and where work is being done.