Parking Structure 5, now under construction, is scheduled to open in mid-March. (Photo courtesy of Justin Reginato)

Finding parking on campus is about to get easier.

Sacramento State’s fifth garage, known as Parking Structure 5, is on schedule to open in mid-March, putting it slightly ahead of the design-build contractor’s original projected April 5 finish.

“It’s worth noting that the completion of this structure is happening at a pace much faster than traditional construction methods, due to the extensive use of a precast concrete system,” says project manager Tania Nunez.

The six-story, $42 million structure near the University’s J Street entrance is constructed of 1,274 precast-concrete components manufactured at Clark Pacific’s plant in Woodland and trucked to Sac State at night. Workers used a 184-foot crane to assemble the components as if they were giant Lego pieces.

Parking Structure 5, with spaces for 1,750 vehicles, is state-of-the art in design, innovation, and conservation programs. It’s one of the first in the 23-campus CSU to register for Parksmart Gold certification from Green Business Certification, Inc., the same organization that certifies LEED projects. 

Among the structure's “green” features is an automated vehicle-count system that will provide up-to-the-minute parking availability on digital signs and the Sac State app. A new traffic circle and off-street queuing area will prevent backups on Arboretum Way during high-traffic periods. And the upper level will be readied for solar array photovoltaic panels.

Leafy-looking painted aluminum panels on the garage’s exterior will allow it to blend in with Sac State’s urban forest.

Construction of the adjacent $9 million Welcome Center is scheduled to begin in September. It will house the offices of University Transportation and Parking Services (UTAPS) and provide space to welcome guests to campus and the media.

Parking Structure 5 and the Welcome Center are being financed with campus parking revenue and funding from the CSU Chancellor’s Office. – Dixie Reid