After almost 13 months of being closed, the Simcoe Parking Garage in downtown Peterborough will reopen at 6 a.m. on Monday (July 18).
As part of the rehabilitation work on the garage, the City of Peterborough has installed a new automated parking control system, expected to be operational on August 2. Parking at the 190 Simcoe Street structure will be free for all customers between July 18 and August 2.
The new automated parking control system includes gates controlling entry and exit from the garage. Customers will receive their ticket upon entry and need to have the ticket validated before exiting the parking garage. Validated tickets inserted into the machine at the exit will raise the gate arm for the vehicle to leave the parking garage.
Customers have a number of options to pay for parking and get their ticket validated.
They can pay by debit or credit card at the machine at the exit by inserting their ticket at the exit gate. They can also pay before proceeding to the exit gate by using payment machines located in the parking garage (there is a 15-minute period after validating a ticket to allow customers to return to their vehicles and proceed to the exit gate). New signs are being installed to guide customers to pay stations, which are fully accessible.
Customers paying by cash can insert their ticket at the new pay station located on the lower level by the elevators and the walkway to the transit platform (the pay station also accepts payment by debit or credit). There is also a new pay station on Level 2A, near the rear stairwell, that accepts only debit or credit for paying for parking and validating parking tickets prior to exit.
Customers can also pay for their parking using their HotSpot account. HotSpot readers are provided on all pay stations for customers to activate the gates using their phones.
Monthly pass holders will be issued a new proximity card or be able to obtain an RFID tag to install on their windshields, which will automatically open the gates upon entry and exit from the garage, as long as their monthly permit is active and is renewed prior to the start of the next month.
A deposit will be required for the new proximity cards or RFID tags, which will be refunded when the customer no longer requires a monthly parking pass. Parking staff will be reaching out to current monthly pass holders to arrange for issuing the new cards or customers can call the Parking Division at 705-742-7777 extension 2802 to purchase a monthly parking pass.
After the period of free parking between July 18 and August 2, parking rates remain unchanged and the first hour of parking is free of charge.
Work began in June 2021 for an extensive rehabilitation of the Simcoe Parking Garage and the culvert that supports Jackson Creek under the garage.
Work on the garage included replacing the waterproofing system on all levels, repairing deteriorated concrete, painting the entire garage, replacing asphalt on the ground level to the east of the parking structure, replacing damaged parking railings, and completing contrast painting of the stairwells for improved accessibility.
The Simcoe Parking Garage was built in 1974 and last went through a major rehabilitation program between 2002 and 2005. A structural review in 2013 identified the need for repairs, and the first phase of this was completed in 2016. An updated structural review in 2017 confirmed the second phase of repair work to replace the waterproofing system and repair deteriorated concrete.
The project was deferred to 2021 to allow the project to be coordinated with work on the Jackson Creek culvert under the parking garage to realize cost savings and minimize disruptions to the parking garage.
Work on the garage and culvert was completed by Brook Restoration Ltd. at a cost of $4.5 million.
