Management of Montgomery County Parking Garages

Duration: February 2005 to July 2007

Budget: $202,155.00

P.I.: Dr. Sherif Aggour

The 18 public garages in Montgomery County require repairs with time, during which a loss of available parking and disruption of garage operations will occur. Current practice is to inspect the garages and rehabilitate them as needed. The research will establish a data base that will include a visual condition assessment of the 18 garages in the County. This will be followed by a nondestructive evaluation of the garages from which a performance model will be determined that will provide information on the rate of deterioration of the garages and, hence, a prediction on where the garages are in their life cycles.

The process of managing 18 garages will then become a proactive process instead of a reactive one. This is important for the County in planning and budgeting, maintaining maximum use of the facilities and establishing the needed rehabilitation programs in a cost-effective manner. In addition, understanding the current condition of a garage and assessing the extent of future deterioration will determine how to best maintain it to minimize the cost impact of future rehabilitation. In all, a management program will save the County money on the cost of future rehabilitation and will reduce the downtime for the use of the facilities.