Contractors have started demolishing one of Pittsburgh’s oldest parking garages to make way for a new one.
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority closed the Downtown Ninth and Penn garage on May 31 to prepare for the demolition work.
The 62-year old building was known as the “sagging” garage because its long decks appeared to sag in the middle.
“It’s served its useful life,” said parking authority Executive Director David Onorato. “It’s coming down.”
Onorato said the new building would be designed to meet top environmental specifications and contain around 700 parking spaces. The old garage could house 586 vehicles.
The project is part of a five-year, $26 million capital plan that included major renovations at three other garages: Smithfield-Liberty, Fort Duquesne & Sixth Street, and Third Avenue, Onorato said. The repairs are expected to extend the projected lifespan of the garages by 20 years.
Customers with leases in the Ninth and Penn garage were given space in other facilities, Onorato said.
He said demolition, originally estimated at $2 million, would cost less than $1 million. The parking authority won’t have a good estimate of construction costs until a design is finished.
“We’re in the process of designing that now and we’ll come up with a budget for the new construction after that’s finished,” Onorato said.
