Construction is underway on a new parking lot that will replace the spots lost due to the new dorm being built in Hart Lot.
The Hart Lot construction site has taken 550 to 600 parking spaces away from drivers, although only half of those spots will be lost permanently once the dorm is built. When construction on the new dorm is completed, the spots will become available to students once again.
The new lot, located on Aster Street, will provide more than 200 spaces to help deal with the spaces lost due to construction, said Steven Waller, director of Residential Life.
Builders have a 90-day contract to lay the parking lot, which is expected to be completed by the end of September, Waller said.
However, Gary Graham, director of Parking and Transportation Services, said it’s more likely that the construction will not be finished until later in the semester because of weather and other unexpected delays.
The cost for the new lot was included in the residential building’s $24.6 million pricetag, Waller said.
Graham said after the initial influx of drivers during the first few weeks of school, the University’s parking situation should calm down, especially if students take advantage of commuter lots near the band hall.
“It’s going to be an inconvenience, but it’s not like we don’t have a surplus of parking” Graham said.
However, students think otherwise.
“[Parking] is going to be chaos, and it’s going to be intense,” said international studies freshman Cooper Spivak, referring to loss of campus parking spaces.