Parking Structure III, which is slated to open January 2007, will be the largest structure in the California State University system, providing 3,043 new parking spaces, Associate Vice President of Facilities Services Ron Richardson said.

Currently, the largest structure in the CSU system is a parking garage at CSU Long Beach with 2,700 spaces. The current second largest is a parking garage at CSU Northridge, which has 2,200 spaces, Richardson said.-

Construction on Parking Structure III is on schedule and the new garage will be open in time for the spring semester, Richardson added.

With the completion of this project, Sac State will have “ample parking during the first month of classes, which we didn’t have this semester,” Richardson said. –

-Once this structure is completed, Sac State will have a total of 12,353 parking spaces, said Nancy Fox, director of University Transportation and Parking Services. –

“(Parking Structure III) was originally 3,200 spaces, but we came in over our approved budget and we had to take some building out,” Richardson said, adding that the current budget for the parking structure is $33 million and there have been no issues with its construction.-

“They’re good, responsive contractors,” Richardson said. –

While 3,000 spaces may seem like a huge addition, Fox said it will be put to good use. —

“This structure will be needed,” said Fox, adding that Sac State’s growth projections suggest that this structure will be very necessary in the future. Fox also said that extracurricular events such as the NCAA track and field trials and the Olympic track and field trials, both held at Sac State, will warrant the need for more parking spaces.-

Although Sac State does hold a number of outside events that could make good use of Parking Structure III, more students are probably concerned about parking during school hours.-

“I don’t like sitting around waiting for a parking spot,” said sophomore Eric Riggs, a graphic design major. “I picked my classes around rush hour, so I wouldn’t have to deal with that.”

Even though some might not agree, Fox said she was pleasantly surprised by the parking situation Sac State faced at the beginning of this semester.

“It was better than I expected it to be,” Fox said.”We’ve been able to park everyone every day.” She said the various off-campus lots leased for the semester have been a huge help.-

“Parking this semester has been about how we expected it to be – challenging,” Associate Vice President of Public Affairs Frank Whitlatch said in an e-mail. Whitlatch said parking has been the worst between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.-

Once Parking Structure III is completed, there will be a huge change in the flow of traffic, Fox said, explaining that a huge amount of cars will be coming into the new garage. This issue has already been addressed, she said.-

“The roadways have already been adjusted,” Fox said, explaining that the addition of a new traffic signal and widened roadways should keep traffic caused by the new garage to a minimum.- –

Even though Sac State will soon have more than 3,000 new parking spaces at its disposal, administrators don’t expect parking to be completely problem-free.-

“We still encourage everyone to continue to use alternate modes of transportation and to have patience,” Fox said. She added: “At the start of every semester there is difficulty parking for the first few days.”

Sacramento Regional Transit has four routes that make direct stops at Sac State during the week, as well as the light rail station on 65th Street, which is within walking distance of the campus. Students can ride Regional Transit busses and light rails for free with a validated OneCard.

Cody Kitaura can be reached at [email protected]