By Douglas Esser
The new parking lot in the southwest corner of the University of Washington Bothell campus behind Discovery Hall opened Wednesday, adding 143 spaces for cars and providing some relief from the parking crunch.
The lot has space for eight motorcycles plus two electric vehicles at a charging station near the Truly House. It also has a designated parking spot for persons with disabilities.
Commuter Services Manager Calvin Johnson says the new lot brings the total number of parking spaces on the UW Bothell-Cascadia College campus to 2,540, including 54 for the disabled.
“This project provides an important new campus amenity,” says Amy Van Dyke, director of physical planning and space management.
The entrance and exit is on 110th Ave. NE. Traffic flows in a one-way circular loop through the lot. A raised walkway connects drivers to the pay station near the west entrance to Discovery Hall.
The lot is open to quarterly and annual permit holders as well as pay-by-day users. Read more on the commuter services webpage.
The contractor, 3 Kings Environmental, which is headquartered in Battleground, Wash., started construction in October 2015. The $2 million project experienced some delays, largely because of winter weather, said John Egdorf, construction project manager.
“This was a challenging project during the rainy season, which turned out to be one of the wettest in a very long time,” said Egdorf. “I’m relieved to finish this for the students. It’s great for the future of the campus.”
The work includes a storm water retention tank under the lot that holds 280,000 gallons, nearly half the capacity of an Olympic size swimming pool. The retention tank helps prevent water runoff from carrying pollutants to the wetlands. The project also adds lighting along NE 180th Street for pedestrian safety in the evening hours.
As weather improved, work picked up. Crews paved with asphalt on April 1 and completed striping and landscaping in the following week. After inspections, it won city of Bothell approval.Additional parking has been discussed for years as the campus grows. Former ASUWB president James Anderson says students started having meetings in September 2014 with Ana Karaman, the vice chancellor for administration, planning and finance, as well as planners and transportation officials from both UW Bothell and Cascadia College.
Students had a continuing role through the process and everyone is relieved with the opening, said Anderson, now the annual giving and stewardship project manager for the University. “We could have used it yesterday.”
