Chapel Hill Details Delays on New Parking Facility; Water Leak Repairs Needed for Another Deck

The Town of Chapel Hill recently provided updates to two parking deck projects downtown: one that is weeks away from beginning and another that is experiencing delays.

Construction on the 125 East Rosemary Street parking deck has been hampered by a recent discovery. The Chapel Hill Town Council received an update during its November 16 meeting that detailed how after demolition of the prior deck, contractors did not find the bedrock foundation expected. Town staff said that foundation, which was expected to help the base of the seven-level facility, was up to ten feet lower in the ground than expected.

To address this, the town council approved $9 million to fill that extra space with micropiles, which are known for providing strong bases deep into the ground despite having smaller diameters. The approved funding, which will be paid for through the town’s fund balance and additional financing later, brings Chapel Hill’s total financial commitment to the construction project to around $48 million.

Town staff said during the town council meeting that construction delays pushes the estimated time of opening for the parking deck from spring 2023 closer to November 2023. The project broke ground in September 2021.

While much attention is directed toward 125 East Rosemary Street, another public deck down the street is preparing for some maintenance work of its own.

Chapel Hill announced the public parking deck at 140 West Franklin Street is preparing for some rolling closures of spaces in order to complete repairs from water leaks. The deck, which also have private parking for the condominium community above businesses occupying ground floor space, will experience closures to 30 parking spaces at a time for the restoration and waterproofing efforts. At the same time, the town will complete resurfacing to the plaza and install additional bollards to prevent vehicles from driving on the plaza level.

An aerial view of 140 West Franklin Street. On the back side of the building is the entrance to a level of public parking off Rosemary Street. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)

The town’s release said spaces on the public parking level will start to be closed off around mid-December, with contractors expected to hang plastic drapes to prevent some dust or debris from making it onto parked cars in the deck. Chapel Hill also said residents at the 140 West condominium community will see their private space blocked overnight at some point in the construction project — with more information set to be communicated to the residents closer to that date.

The full release from the Town of Chapel Hill on the 140 West Rosemary Street parking deck repairs can be found here. More information about parking accessibility across Chapel Hill can be found on the town’s parking website.

Featured photo via Perkins + Will.

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Chapel Hill Details Delays on New Parking Facility; Water Leak Repairs Needed for Another Deck

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