MU to close Conley Avenue parking garage for repairs

EDITOR'S NOTE: The number of parking spaces in Conley Avenue garage has been corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri will close a 700-spot parking garage on campus Saturday to make repairs.

The school said in a Saturday afternoon news release that it would close the Conley Avenue Parking Structure at 511 Conley Ave. "[f]ollowing a recent inspection and as part of ongoing efforts to extend the lifespan of parking structures on campus." Christopher Ave with the MU News Bureau told ABC 17 News on Saturday that he did not know how long the repairs would take.

The news release said that all cars still in the garage by 8 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 19 would be towed at no cost to the car's owner to another spot on campus. The owners would be contacted directly, the release said. The school said students with parking permits at the Conley Ave. garage would be relocated to Turner Avenue or Hitt Street parking garages. Staff and faculty permit holders would be relocated to the same garages "depending on where they work."

Records obtained by ABC 17 News show that inspectors warned the school about deteriorating cable barriers at several garages, including the Conley Ave. garage. A July 29 report by Structural Engineering Associates noted the cables in both the Conley Ave. and University Ave. garages had "accelerated in deterioration" since previous inspections had been done, and recommended their removal and replacement this year.

Ave did not specify what the repairs would entail. The maintenance report said that the Conley Ave. garage has 720 parking spots.