State Street Garage Update- February 15, 2013

I have received further clarification regarding the State Street Garage parking situation. Due to all of the enforcement issues and to comply with all safety requirements, the Contractor has determined that it is necessary to close off the one half of the garage closest to State Street which is within the swing radius of the crane. I thought our shut down a few days ago was for only 30 minutes but was in fact for half of the day. We are on such a short timeline here that this sort of unnecessary delay is devastating.
I am working to locate some alternative parking areas due to this new situation. My understanding is that even the surface lot next door was full yesterday. Rentenbach, PBA, and the City all are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience this situation yesterday may have caused anyone. The decision to close half the Garage was made quickly due to our time constraints and we simply did not have time to get out as much notice as we would have liked.
On March 5, 2013 when we move the crane from State Street, the other half of the Garage will be closed for the portion of construction near S. Central Street. Our goal is to reopen sometime in April if possible.
For folks parking in the Garage monthly, please contact me (Rick Emmett 215-3837), Republic Parking, or PBA for alternate locations to park if the current situation at the State Street Garage is too burdensome for you.
Once last bit of information is that the exit to State Street from the Garage to Clinch Avenue should reopen today which should provide a little relief for those exiting the garage.
Lastly, here is a picture I took today from across Hall of Fame Drive showing our progress so far.
Thanks for your interest.

State Street Garage Update-February 14, 2013

Our contractor, Rentenbach Constructors, Inc., is continuing to make good progress on our project and the new deck is really starting to take shape.
However, we are having problems with keeping both cars and pedestrians out of the work zone and we ask that you closely follow the directions of our flaggers and also to pay attention to the traffic control signs. Yesterday the site was shut down for approximately 30 minutes because some individual drove his car through the site, parked and walked directly under the swing radius of the crane. We have strict safety guidelines we have to abide by so we cannot allow this to continue to happen.
Because of this incident and others like it this week, we have been forced to close off even more of the garage during the day and have added even more signage and folks on site.
Our goal is to be off of State Street by March 5, 2013 and we simply will not be able to meet that goal without cooperation.
I have urged everyone  to park in the surface lot next to the garage as much as possible to avoid any conflicts. The Coliseum is also an option for the next few weeks and the trolley runs right by there.
We are meeting continually to monitor this situation and I will let everyone know as soon as I find out about any changes to parking in this area. We realize on high traffic days like today, even the surface lot next door is full.
Below are some pictures of the crane erecting the precast concrete sections.

You may have noticed quite a bit of work around Regal Cinema as well. This work is in anticipation of the new overpass to be installed the first of March. KUB has taken this opportunity to upgrade their transformer here and to also relocate it to a better location. The previous location of the transformer was problematic because of access issues but also was in the old crosswalk area which forced the creation of a second crosswalk. This has caused a lot of confusion and safety concerns in the last few years so this project will correct that condition as well.

Happy Valentines Day everyone. I know we are all looking forward to Spring which is just around the corner.

Thanks for your interest in Downtown and in the State Street Garage progress.

State Street Garage Update- February 1, 2013

We knew that beginning a construction project in the middle of the winter would be challenging. Snow and then  ice coupled with cold weather as we have had recently can obviously cause issues. Then  we have near record rainfall  for Januaury.
I am glad to report, however, that we continue to make good progress despite the weather.
The large crane has finally arrived on State Street and our understanding is that the trucks carrying the precast concrete should begin rolling in on Monday. Our goal is still to have the work completed on the State Street side of the garage, including the new overpass, by March 5. At that point the crane will move down Union Avenue to S. Central Street for approximately one month .
The foundation work is proceeding and is generally on schedule as planned.
The parking situation in the garage has had some glitches but I think we have finally resolved those with signage and folks on site for direction. Monthly parkers are allowed to park in the State Street Garage and we are directing all others to the surface lot beside the garage. This lot can be accessed from several different directions and we are grateful to Knox County for allowing us this use.

We cancelled the last scheduled Public Hearing due to many conflicts with other meetings and also because of the potential weather and that now looks like a good call.
We have scheduled the next Public Meeting to provide a construction update and to answer any questions for February 7, 2013 at 5:00 pm at the East Tennessee History Center.
We now have our new landscaping plan so we will provide details at that time for review.
Please continue to use caution in this congested work zone and be aware of our flaggers and the directional signage. We have given a lot of thought to placement and function here so we need your help to work with us to provide a safe environment.
Below are some random pictures of the foundation work, work site,  and some of the equipment.

Below are couple of the older pictures from the original construction:

Thanks for your interest in this project and in Downtown Knoxville.

State Street Garage Update- January 17, 2013

PLEASE NOTE: The public meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17^th, on the State Street Garage project has been canceled. It will be rescheduled for a later date. Thank you for any help you can provide in spreading the word.

Also, remember that State Street will be closed beginning Sunday. The crane needed to lift the precast concrete pieces should be arriving then. With the Holiday falling on Monday, this timing is still somewhat flexible as we have directed the Contractor to only close off the garage and the street as needed. One lane of Clinch Avenue will also be closed and the entrances and exits to the State Street Garage on both Clinch Avenue and State Street will be closed at that time. The only entrance to the garage for vehicular traffic will be on Union Avenue. Parking in the garage will only be allowed for monthly parkers. Other downtown visitors and cinema patrons will be directed to use the surface parking lot located off of Union Avenue between State Street and S. Central Street. Pedestrians using this lot will be directed to the western sidewalk along State Street to reach Gay Street by either the Union Avenue sidewalk, the newly constructed temporary stairwell, or the elevator. The eastern sidewalk along State Street by the garage will also be closed at this time. One lane of traffic on State Street will reopen nights and weekends unless additional work is needed for the project. The crane will start on the south end of State Street and proceed north. Additional time will be needed when the crane reaches the Union Avenue area to place the new overpass in position.

The upper deck of the garage will be completely closed off as well as some of the additional parking spaces for this phase of construction. Folks will be on site to direct both traffic and pedestrians. Please be very mindful of all signage, flaggers, and other personal onsite. These folks are there to help you arrive safely at your destination.

This work is scheduled for completion for this phase by March 5, 2013. The next phase will take place on S. Central Street.

We apologize for any inconvenience with the meeting cancellation for tonight. There are multiple meeting conflicts tonight and with the possible weather issues we decided to reschedule to another date.

Thanks for your patience and interest in this project and in Downtown Knoxville.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at 865-215-3837.

Rick Emmett

Downtown Coordinator

City of Knoxville

State Street Garage Update- January 14, 2013

Please note the following Media Advisory:

What: Public meeting on State Street Garage construction

When: 5 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 17^th

Where: East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St.

Who: City of Knoxville officials and construction managers with the State Street Garage expansion project will provide updates on the ongoing construction. This will include projected schedules for lane and road closures around the garage, and expected limitations on parking availability in the garage during construction.

The State Street Garage expansion is a $6.1 million project that will add 250 new spaces to the garage’s existing 842 spaces. It will also add an elevated walkway across State Street to connect to Gay Street, replacing the now-closed escalator.

Foundation work is continuing and is going well. It is a slow process but will ensure our ability to add additional levels when funding is secured.

Please continue to use caution in the construction area as conditions there will be very congested for the next few months. We will have signage and flaggers on site to help direct traffic and also to help direct pedestrians. The pedestrian travel path may be relocated on occasion for safety so please heed all of our warning signs and follow our designated walking areas.

State Street is scheduled to have a complete closure beginning next Monday, January 21, 2013 during daylight hours and occasionally on weekends depending on weather conditions and other factors. One lane will reopen at nights and on weekends. This closure is currently scheduled to remain in effect until the end of February. Work will then move down Union Avenue to S. Central Street. S. Central Street will be closed at that point for approximately one month.
The rebar required for the project is being delivered in anticipation of the precast concrete delivery.

Please plan to attend the Public meeting this Thursday if you are interested in the very latest news about the State Street Garage Expansion or if you have any questions for our team.

As always, thanks for your interest in the project and in Downtown Knoxville.

State Street Garage Update- December 28, 2012

Please note the following press release:

STATE STREET ESCALATOR TO CLOSE PERMANENTLY ON JAN. 2

            As part of the ongoing expansion of the State Street Parking Garage, the escalator from State Street to Gay Street next to the Regal Riviera movie theater will be closed permanently next week.
           
            The escalator will be shut down at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2^nd, 2013. The elevator next to it will still be open, and a temporary staircase will be opened alongside it.

            The escalator is being replaced with an elevated walkway from the garage, which will cross State Street and connect with the public access way alongside the movie theater.   

            The State Street Garage expansion is a $6.1 million project that will add 250 new spaces to the garage’s existing 842 spaces. Construction is scheduled to be finished in early spring.


Here are a couple of pictures of the escalator and the new temporary stairwell.

Foundation work is still ongoing as well both inside and outside of the State Street Garage.



I hope everyone has a happy, safe,and prosperous New Year.
Thanks for your interest in Downtown Knoxville and in the State Street garage Expansion Project.

State Street Garage Update- December 7, 2012

The next Public Meeting to discuss progress and planning for the State Street Garage Expansion is scheduled for Thursday December 13, 2012 at 5:00 pm at the East Tennessee History Center on S. Gay Street.
Work on the garage foundation has gone well so far. For a number of reasons we are a little behind on our construction progress but we hope to make that up in short order.
Union Avenue will be down to one lane beginning Monday, December 10, 2012 and the entrance to the garage, as well as that entire level of parking, will be closed for approximately one week. We will open it back as quickly as possible and are hopeful it will not take that long, but to be safe we wanted everyone to use caution here.

The Christmas Parade is tonight along with First Friday and the Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk is tomorrow (Sat.) so we have a lot going on. In addition the Tennessee Theatre has a Broadway show in town so we hope everyone will use caution and plan for a little longer time to insure safety in this area. We will have flaggers at all closure points and also warning signs. We will likely have a lane closure around the entire parking structure in the near future so please be aware of that.

Our plans at this time are to begin some work around the escalator soon and to completely remove the escalator early in January 2013. Before that happens we will build a temporary stairwell along the HT Hackney parking lot that will end at the elevator which will be remain available for use throughout the project. Folks at HT Hackney have been great to work with and we are very thankful for their support of this project as we are with all of our other partners. A KUB transformer will also be moved and upgraded at this time in that same area. Our plans are to have the overpass constructed and open in March 2013.

Road closure timing has also changed some and we are now planning to close State Street first, probably around the middle of January 2013. A large crane will move in to place the precast concrete for the garage deck. This will be a massive undertaking. From 7 to 15 trucks will arrive per day bringing 8 ft by 60 ft sections of precast concrete to be used for construction. Work will be performed primarily during the day and possibly on some Saturdays. We hope to reopen a lane of traffic along the closed roads nights and weekends.
The work on State Street will take about a month and then will proceed down Union Avenue to Central Street. Central Street will then be closed for about a month with the same timing, that is we hope to have a lane open nights and weekends. We will finish up, then on Clinch Avenue in March.
This schedule insures that the overpass is in place and State Street is functioning as it was before all of our events in the spring.

I hope to see you tonight and at the Public meeting next Thursday.
Thanks for your interest in Downtown Knoxville and in the State Street Garage Expansion Project.