Finding a vacant parking spot on campus can be stressful enough without worrying about messing up tire alignment because of driving through a pothole.
But one parking lot has proven particularly problematic with a crumbling pavement filled with bumpy potholes.
Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said the main CEBA parking lot is the next repair project on the University’s master plan. It will be resurfaced in spring 2008.
The bid for rebuilding the main lot of what is now referred to as Patrick F. Taylor Hall is $2.2 million, but Graham said the project involves more than just filling potholes.
Student Government and the parking office announced November 25, 2006, that the potholes in the main lot had been filled and was due for resurfacing this past summer. While some of the potholes were filled during the summer, many potholes remained and continued to develop.
Corey Weber, director of transportation for Student Government, said although the main lot was scheduled for resurfacing this past summer, the University is behind on the master plan by approximately a year to a year and a half.
“A lot of different events have happened, whether they were financial or other, that accumulated to put the University behind on the master plan,” Weber said.
Built in 1998, Graham said the parking office first noticed widespread problems about five years ago. He said the lot was built according to proper standards, but the lime stabilized base has disappeared.
“We don’t know exactly why [the parking lot developed potholes],” he said. “This process has been used on numerous lots around campus with no problems except for this one lot.”
But Graham said they suspect the problem may be the lot’s history. Prior to being paved, the surface served as a golf course. Graham said decades of fertilizer used on the land may have neutralized the lime essentially causing a layer of asphalt over dirt.
“Once the lime was gone, the base failed and the surface asphalt broke up,” Graham said. “The Oaks Lot, which was built a few years later further west on the same old golf course, had soil cement used instead of lime and there have not been any problems with it.”
Jeff Ortego, mechanical engineering junior, said he thinks the University should have neutralized the fertilizer prior to paving the lot.
“They fixed a lot over the summer, but there are still plenty of potholes,” Ortego said. “They should resurface the whole parking lot, but that would be a nightmare. I think it would be in their best interest to do it over winter break or summer break, not in the spring.”
While the lot functions as a holding for RV’s during game days, the Athletic Department is not responsible for repairing or funding the lot. Graham said the parking office pays for all the capital projects, including potholes. He said leftover funds from parking permit fees and tickets are used to pay for the projects.
But some students do not think student fees should be used to subsidize the parking lot. They think the Athletic Department should be held financially responsible because of the fans paying $1,000 per year to park their RV’s.
Wade Campbell, information systems and decision sciences senior, said the situation is awful and the Athletic Department is to blame.
“You can pay an athletic coach millions of dollars, but you can’t fix the parking lots around here,” he said. “[LSU football coach] Les Miles and [Athletics Director] Skip Bertman make millions of dollars, and people are paying outrageous prices for RV spots. And they can’t patch it better than they have?”
Keyley Mable, biological science freshman, said she has seen potholes when walking around campus.
“You just really want to know where your money is going,” Mable said. “I live in Miller, and they put a metal plate over a pothole. But the surface still messes up people’s tires. Money isn’t going in the right places.”
Ashley Proze, marketing senior, said the holes will eventually mess up her tire’s alignment and should be fixed during the holiday break.
“The potholes are ridiculous,” she said. “They are just an added stress to driving. In addition to having to watch for other cars and people, you have to watch out for holes. I notice they are starting to go into the actual parking spot. So when you park your car you’re sitting on top of them.”
Graham said many of the parking lots on campus have already been repaired. The West Stadium lot was repaired during the summer of 2006 and South Stadium lot repairs were complete this past spring.
“But both of these lots were over 30 years old and were in need of being rebuilt anyway as they had already long passed their expectancy for use without refurbishing,” he said.
—-Contact Natalie Messina at [email protected]