An expansion of the Cherry Avenue Parking Garage is set to begin March 1 and will add 250 new parking spots to one of campus’ most heavily populated areas, Parking and Transportation Services officials said.

The new parking spots will primarily be visitor spots, but some of them will be allocated to parking permit holders.

Mike Delahanty, operations manager for PTS, said there are two main reasons for the expansion.

The first is that PTS wanted to add a visitor component to the garage. The Cherry Avenue Parking Garage is used for athletic events that draw large numbers of visitors, Delahanty said.

Second, the garage does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which PTS officials want to remedy, he said.

“”This expansion will allow us to accommodate high-profile vans used to help people with disabilities,”” Delahanty said.

Another major component of the expansion is the addition of an elevator, which Cherry Avenue Parking Garage does not have.

“”We have some issues with athletic events because we have no elevator, so we have to set aside parking spots on the first floor for disabled people,”” Delahanty said.

The expansion will add 25 disabled parking spots. The garage currently has only five.

On March 1, when construction begins, East Enke Drive will close between North National Championship Drive and North Cherry Avenue for realignment of the road. North Cherry Avenue will also be closed south of East Enke Drive for construction office trailers during the expansion.

The Cherry Avenue Parking Garage entrance will close April 2 for construction, but will open May 10-14 for UA commencement ceremonies.

During the closure, the only access into the garage will be the entrance off East Enke Drive or Championship Drive.

On May 14, the garage entrance will close again until the finished garage is re-opened Aug. 20.

During construction, people who already have Cherry Avenue Parking Garage parking passes will still be able to park in the lot, Delahanty said.

Southern garage parking spots on all levels will be closed May 21 until the garage is re-opened.

In total, the expansion will add one more elevator, a cashier’s booth, 25 disabled spaces, high-bay van access and parking control equipment to the Cherry Avenue Parking Garage.

The expansion project is slated for completion by mid-August, in time for the start of the fall 2007 semester.

Parking permits for Cherry Avenue Parking Garage are $470 for the year, according to PTS.