Brittany Ziegler, international studies freshman, does not like driving her car away from the Herget Hall parking lot because she said it’s too hard to find a parking spot for her Dodge Neon.
But Ziegler and other students living on the east side of campus will have some parking relief in February.
The Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation is constructing a new lot in front of the Agriculture Center’s barn. The lot will create about 123 spaces for Residents. It will be located on South Stadium Drive near Miller, Herget and East and West Laville halls.
It’s an excellent idea for LSU to build another lot because LSU is in desperate need of more spaces for students, Zeigler said. This will take pressure off of people who drive off campus everyday, so they won’t have to worry about finding a parking spot late at night. According to the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation’s Web site, the parking lot was projected to cost approximately $325,600, but Gary Graham, the Director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said the final bid costs approximately $345,000.
Student, faculty and staff fees will fund the construction projects and campus parking improvements. This money will also cover improved lighting and pedestrian sidewalks and the total project cost, including construction and design.
The West Stadium lot near Tiger Stadium is being redesigned to be a commuter lot. The lot will create approximately 364 spaces and will lot cost approximately $617,200. The Tiger Athletic Foundation and the University will foot the bill for the lot.
We hope to start construction around April or May, making the commuter lot ready for next fall, said Graham. About one third of the cost for this lot will be paid by student, faculty and staff fees, and the rest will be paid by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, said Graham.
To help solve the parking problem on campus, the university is planning to construct a parking garage off East Campus Drive and Raphael Semmes Road. It will create approximately 725 spaces and cost the University $18.5 million. According to the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation’s Web site, construction on the garage will begin during the 2007-2008 academic year.
The parking garage will also include a two-story bookstore.
 
Contact Elizabeth Miller at [email protected]