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State St. Garage work should be 'substantially complete' by June 12

When it's finished there will be 570 new parking spaces on two new decks of the State Street Garage, bringing its capacity to about 1,600 vehicles.

The newly renovated and expanded State Street Garage should be open ih downtown Knoxville by June 12, according to city leaders.

Work on the $11 million dollar project started in the fall, temporarily closing streets and cutting down on available parking spots, but the work is finally nearing an end.

When it's finished there will be 570 new parking spaces on two new decks of the State Street Garage, bringing its capacity to about 1,600 vehicles.

There will still be some work going on at the Clinch Ave. entrance to the garage this summer, but the work will be "substantially complete" by June 12, according to Downtown Coordinator Rick Emmett.

"Our downtown business owners, residents and visitors have been very patient throughout these past nine months," Emmett said. "By and large, they recognize and appreciate the investment in our downtown, and the short-term pain is worth the long-term gain of 570 new parking spaces.

The renovation also added two new elevators, on both the State Street and the Central Street sides of the garage. City leaders said this will make is possible for anyone with mobility issues to park and be able to navigate the steep climb from Central up to State and Gay streets. Using the pedestrian walkway connecting Gay Street to the garage, a person with a disability soon will be able to get from the middle of downtown to the Old City without the elevation barrier.

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