Though an entrance to the Leroy Collins Boulevard parking garage was originally scheduled to close for three weeks starting today, Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) said it will remain open.
PATS Director Manuel Lopez said Wednesday that PATS would close an entrance to Parking Lot 1 and the garage entrance located off of Leroy Collins Boulevard, which would also be under construction, today through May 8 to determine how to alleviate conflict between pedestrians and motor traffic at the entrance.
Yet, in an email sent Friday, Lopez said the garage will remain open for two reasons.
“Construction efforts to improve (Leroy) Collins (Boulevard) will be able to be scheduled in a fashion that will not disrupt accessibility to (Leroy) Collins (Boulevard) and our external traffic consultants were able to gather sufficient data this week to eliminate the need to shut down the access points to the garage,” he said in the email.
The external traffic consultant firm ICON Consultant Group Inc. has been working with PATS to find a way to make the area safer.
ICON project manager Jamie Heuer said in an email that he was counting vehicles and pedestrians within the garage last week.
Since April 11, PATS had advertised the three-week shutdown with ads in The Oracle and posters placed in and around the garage.
