Health region closes 450 parking stalls at RUH

Engineers noticed cracks in the RUH parking lot’s cable-support framework, underneath the parkade’s outer layer of concrete, as they inspected the site this summer.

About one quarter of parking stalls at the Royal University Hospital parkade have been closed as the city’s health region looks to fix structural problems on a 20-year-old section of the structure.

The Saskatoon Health Region first closed parts of the five-level parkade’s lower three levels in May 2013 as engineers prepared for the new Children’s Hospital of Saskatchewan, which will be built next to RUH.

Inspectors noticed cracks in the parking lot’s cable-support framework, underneath the parkade’s outer layer of concrete. The bottom three levels of the parkade were built in 1984.

“The test results came back in Oct. 2013 and showed there were issues related to the cable structure in some parts of the parkade,” said Nilesh Kavia, vice-president of finance and corporate services with the region. “We will continue to keep these areas closed as we work through what our options might be to address the issue. We know this closure was unexpected.”

Kavia said 450 of 1,800 stalls in the parking lot are closed.

A majority of health region employees who park on the parkade’s first level, and all those who park on the second level, are being relocated to levels four and five.

Some staff will move to other parking lots on campus and take a shuttle to RUH, Kavia said.

“While fewer parking stalls than expected will be available as we prepare for construction of the new hospital, Saskatoon Health Region is making every effort to first accommodate the parking needs of patients, their families and visitors and we appreciate the co-operation of employees and physicians in this regard.”

One option the region is exploring is replacing the cables inside the parkade structure.

“At this point we don’t know what the post-tension cable repair would cost. We kind of have an estimate on what it would cost, but it depends on the severity,” Kavia said. “What could it cost? It could cost upwards of $20 million.”

The region said in a media release that a few sections of the parkade will be permanently closed and demolished to make room for the hospital.

As the region prepares those sections for construction and as it explores options to fix the cable structure, spots left open on the first level will be devoted to employees and physicians. Spaces on the second level will be dedicated to the public starting in late January and the third level will remain designated for public parking.

The fourth and fifth levels, which were added just over a year ago, will be used for public, employee and physician parking.

The health region has spent about $10 million over the past five years on renovating the structure, Kavia said.