Right on schedule, construction has begun on the new Chapel Lane and Baker Street entrances to the Baker Street parking lot in the downtown.
Heavy machinery and a heavy-duty jack hammer landed on the site Monday. By early afternoon, the Baker Street entrance was torn up.
The first stage of the work is expected to take one week to complete.
Dual entrance/exit locations are being installed at the longstanding parking lot, with parking payment machines at each. The Chapel Lane machine is already in place.
Motorists drive into the lot, park their vehicle, walk to the pay station, pay with cash, credit card, or City of Guelph tokens, and place the receipt on their vehicle’s dash.
The lot has been the subject of much redevelopment planning in recent years. Part of that proposed redevelopment, which could take several years to commence, includes a new main branch of the Guelph Public Library, as well as new commercial and residential space. The city is seeking a private partner on the project.
Once the new entrances and exits are completed on the lot, the now unmanned parking attendant booth will be removed, work which is expected to begin in early October and take two weeks to complete.
For now, the exit lanes at the booth will remain operational while the Baker Street and Chapel Lane entry and exit points are being reconstructed.
Some traffic disruptions could result from the construction.
