Park City's aging China Bridge parking garage could cost $14 million to $19 million to partially replace, and the 2034 Winter Olympics are forcing the question of when to start.
The Park City Council discussed the garage's future and a possible broader overhaul of the Swede Alley corridor at its Thursday, Oct. 22, meeting. No votes were taken, but council members directed staff to return with additional planning and financial analysis, TownLift reported.
The southern portion of the garage was built in 1986 and is approaching its expected 50-year service life, according to the city's Oct. 22 council staff report.
A 2024 structural assessment recommended preparing and budgeting for replacement within 10 years. The northern portion, built in 2006, remains in better condition.
The city has spent roughly $1.9 million on structural repairs, protective improvements and operational upgrades since the assessment. That includes approximately $1.3 million in structural rehabilitation, much of it directed toward the older southern section.
Recent work includes repairs to 32 post-tension cables, steel bracing, stair tower replacements, protective coatings and expansion joints.
Replacing the southern structure with comparable parking that meets current building codes is estimated to cost $14 million to $19 million in current dollars. That estimate excludes replacement of the northern structure or redevelopment of the full site.
Olympic deadline divides council
Council members expressed differing views on whether the 2034 Winter Olympics should drive the project's schedule.
Councilor Bill Ciraco favored moving early enough to avoid major construction immediately before the Games, according to the Park Record's account of the meeting.
Mayor Ryan Dickey also raised concerns about the difficulty of completing such a major project before 2034.
Councilor Ed Parigian questioned treating the Olympics as a firm deadline for long-term infrastructure decisions. Councilor Tana Toly, meanwhile, pointed to potential funding and partnership opportunities associated with preparations for the Games.
The city's staff report outlines several possible paths: advance replacement before 2034, maintain the garage through the Games and replace it afterward, or continue evaluating both approaches.
Under the existing maintenance strategy, structural rehabilitation would be substantially completed in 2027. Staff recommend monitoring the garage and conducting another comprehensive structural assessment around 2030 or 2031.
That reassessment would help determine whether the city needs to accelerate replacement or can continue using the structure.
Swede Alley redevelopment under consideration
Beyond a straightforward garage replacement, council members discussed whether the project could support broader improvements along Swede Alley.
The city's staff report identifies potential commercial space, housing, public gathering areas, transportation improvements and better pedestrian connections to Main Street.
Those concepts were considered in the proposed 2024 Main Street Area Plan but were not adopted.
City staff also identified private development as a possible way to help finance replacement parking and other public improvements.
Any redevelopment would need to account for China Bridge's role as a primary parking facility for Historic Main Street, as well as nearby businesses, residences and the Old Town Transit Center.
The garage generates approximately one-third of Park City's total parking revenue, according to the staff report.
Council members must also consider how construction would affect access to Main Street businesses and whether the northern structure could remain open while work proceeds on the southern portion.
Park City has not selected a preferred design, approved a replacement budget or established a construction start date.
Staff are expected to return with comparisons of replacement and redevelopment options, including parking capacity, costs, funding sources, public benefits and possible construction schedules.
