Anyone who has visited a shopping mall or big box store knows that parking lots can be chaotic at the best of times. But when you factor in a major construction project, that chaos quickly amplifies. This was the scenario PCL's Special Projects team faced when we took on the Calgary Parking Authority (CPA) Impound Lot and Parkade project.

This project focused on future-proofing the Impound Lot and allowing the CPA to increase capacity and efficiency, improve operational aspects of the facility, and ultimately better meet the community's parking needs. While our crews built a new two-story above-grade precast parking structure and laid 30,000 square meters of new asphalt, we couldn't simply shut down CPA operations for over a year. Instead, we had to figure out how to work around the roughly 75 vehicles moving in and out of the existing impound lot every day.

Working in collaboration with the CPA client operations group, our teams customized and adapted our construction phasing plans to meet CPA needs and minimize disruptions to daily operations. This included moving materials and equipment around the site as needed and keeping our construction areas as compact as possible. The crews maintained access throughout the build and took no more than a quarter of a lot at any given time.

Meanwhile, the CPA accommodated underground services related to storm drains and construction techniques associated with building up the asphalt assembly. CPA and PCL's symbiotic relationship was first fostered in 2015 and 2016 when PCL constructed its new office building. Since then, our teams have been able to develop plans that meet the needs of both parties.

The new precast parkade added 87 stalls to the impound lot, including secure heated stalls for enforcement vehicles. PCL provided the CPA with a high level of service for a competitive cost. We were able to turn over the parking structure a month ahead of schedule to accommodate space limitations in other CPA buildings.