Downtown Construction Update

Those who have parked lately in structures on Fourth Street may have noticed some changes: Work crews contracted by the city of Santa Monica are busy painting the parking structures to give them a fresh new look and make them more inviting.

In a larger parking structure improvement project that began in October, all parking structures in downtown Santa Monica will be painted and three – structures 2, 4 and 5 on Second Street – will get new facades.

According to Alex Nazarchuck, civil engineer with the city of Santa Monica, the painting of Parking Structure 1, between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, is completed with fresh coats of yellow and white paint. Parking Structure 3, between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, is about 90 percent finished with new coats of green and white paint.

Work on Parking Structure 5, between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway began just a few weeks ago. The plan is to finish painting the structures on Fourth Street, then move on to Second Street.

City crews anticipate that all of the structures will be painted by spring 2009, and that façade work will be finished by fall 2009.

In addition to those improvements, Parking Structure 4 is in the process of getting a remodel of its restroom and lobby. According to Bayside District Corporation Operations Manager Andrew Thomas, city crews hope that work will be done by the end of January.

In addition, a new trash bin room has been constructed in that structure and already is in use. City crews are steadily working on downtown’s streetscape improvement project, slated to be completed in April 2009.

Although electrical work around Santa Monica Place has continued because of ongoing construction there, work elsewhere stopped December 19 for the holiday season. It will resume January 6, 2009.