Downtown Parking Lot Reopens

Wednesday, August 31st, 2022

The parking lot at the former site of the downtown parking deck near the intersection of Crawford Street and Hamilton Street is now open for public parking. The ground level parking lot had been closed to the public since June after the parking deck was found to be unsafe during a routine inspection and was subsequently demolished. 

Caption: An aerial view of the parking lot

The parking deck was closed to the public on June 10th after a routine inspection found that a support beam appeared to be deteriorating.  After consulting with structural engineers, it was determined that either a repair of the structure or demolition of the structure would be needed. Further study found that repairing the structure would cost almost as much as the parking deck was worth, and the City Council voted July 14th to tear it down. Preparation work on the site began July 19th, with demotion work beginning in earnest in early August. Once the contractor was done with work to remove the deck structure, the Public Works Department began work to clear the site and get the ground level lot ready for public parking once again. That work included clearing remaining construction debris as well as repainting parking spots. The original estimate called for the lot to be open after the Labor Day holiday but the Public Works Department was able to get the work done ahead of schedule. 

City officials and the Downtown Dalton Development Authority are working on plans for a new parking deck to replace the demolished structure.