Construction crews will begin revitalizing a parking garage in downtown Salem on April 6.

The $6.2 million project to improve the Marion Parkade, at 538 Liberty St. N.E., is expected to finish in November.

“These updates aim to create a more welcoming and safer environment for everyone who uses the facility,” city officials stated. “The project will reduce facility maintenance costs, enhance the structure’s openness and encourage increased use, especially during evening hours.”

Luke Gmazel, Salem‘s project manager for the Marion Parkade improvement project, said the construction will be sequenced to maintain partial access and use.

This project is funded by Riverfront-Downtown urban renewal funds.

The parking garage is one of three that opened in the 1980s to spur downtown development. Combined, the Marion, Chemeketa and Liberty parkades have 868 free parking spaces for visitors and customers. The Marion Parkade is near Kohl’s, Salem Center mall, several churches and Salem Police headquarters.

The project will support growth in downtown Salem, according to the city, by improving infrastructure that serves residents, visitors and businesses while prioritizing safety and accessibility.

As part of the project, the stairs will be replaced, and the surrounding walls will be removed to allow users to see who is entering and exiting the building. New overhead roof structures will provide weather protection and highlight the entrances. Lighting will be upgraded to encourage nighttime use, and new signage and architectural features will be added to improve the building’s aesthetics.

Walls on the ground floor that block visibility will be replaced with perforated metal panels.

Construction will be completed in phases, with focus on one corner at a time to allow parts of the parking structure to remain open for public use.

Permit parking and ADA accessible parking will still be available, but locations may be adjusted during construction. Drivers are asked to look for signage indicating the location of designated permit parking spaces.

Visitor parking and sky-bridge access to Salem Center will remain open throughout construction.

Limited night work is expected during the project to accommodate lane closures required by the city. The scheduled closures will be between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and occur on High Street (May 26 through June 1) and Liberty Street (Sept. 14-18).

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Statesman Journal and then was distributed on the USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.

The post $6.2 million parking garage renovation on tap in Salem appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

As crews approach the finish of the Hyatt Regency at the Oregon Convention Center hotel project, others at the adjacent parking garage are also looking to wrap up work.

General contractor Mortenson Construction is building both projects for Metro. Currently, workers at the six-story, 442-space parking garage project are completing storefront elements and mechanical systems, as well as new sidewalks, stairways and other hardscape. The structure itself is six decks of post-tensioned concrete.

“The garage and hotel both are scheduled to be in sync with each other,” said Dan Mehls, vice president of Mortenson Construction‘s Portland office. “They need to open at the same time, but we’re at a point where the parking garage will be ready before the hotel; we wanted to be comfortable that the garage would be ready.”

Upon completion, the garage will gain a nine-story addition. ZGF Architects‘ design for developer Prosper Portland received approval from the Portland Design Commission earlier this month. The 100 NE Multnomah Office Building will also be constructed by Mortenson.

“We’ve been working with Prosper Portland through the different stages of design,” Mehls said. “Work wouldn’t start until after the tenants have been identified, and that could be anytime in 2020.”

The mechanical systems built into the garage are robust and intended for commercial use beyond vehicle parking. Concrete columns, meanwhile, extend upward from the roof of the structure so additional post-tensioned decks can easily be stacked on top of the garage.

“Part of the expansion goes alongside the existing garage and most of it is up on top,” Mehls said. “It’s a unique way to add to the building.”

Mehls added that it would be a “misnomer” to call the project a parking garage in the first place.

“It’s really the first phase of a mixed-use development,” he said. “It’s got retail on the first floor and it’s built to receive a tower on top and it’s designed to accompany the hotel.”

Both the parking garage and the hotel are on schedule to be completed this fall, Mehls said.

Minneapolis-based Mortenson has maintained a presence in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, but the two projects have helped cement the firm’s presence in Portland, Mehls said.

“This project kind of helped put us on the map, visibility-wise,” he said. “We’ve been always kind of an under-the-radar developer and builder, and it’s helped us grow our business here.”

The post Another structure rising near convention center appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.