The parking woes in downtown Guelph will soon be somewhat alleviated with the opening of the new Market Parkade on Wilson Street.
The parkade, which holds 500 parking spaces, is scheduled to open on Oct. 22 along with Wilson Street and the Norfolk Street pedestrian bridge.
READ MORE: Wilson Street in downtown Guelph changing one-way direction
“The completion of this project represents a $22-million investment in core infrastructure and parking services for our thriving downtown core,” said CAO Scott Stewart.
The parkade also has a secure bicycle storage facility with spaces for 40 bikes and electric vehicle charging stations.
Solar panels have been installed on the roof and are projected to produce 240,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy annually. The city said it’s equal to the amount of electricity used by 25 homes for one year.
The one-way portion of Wilson Street, which has been closed during construction, will reopen with traffic flowing out of the downtown core.
The city said all of the work, including some art projects in the area, has been completed within their planned budgets.
There will also be a grand opening celebration on Oct 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Market Square. Residents are invited to join city staff for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where there will also be food, games and music.
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Parking for cars and bikes in the parkade will be free during the event.
The former parking lot where the parkade now stands was closed in February 2018 and the Norfolk bridge was removed in April of that year before being replaced.