By: Aidan Loney

The University of Arkansas is planning to build a new parking garage on campus, adding about 1,500 parking spaces to ease parking lot congestion.

Following a two-year parking study, Transit and Parking Services selected a site along Razorback Road, just south of Center Street and east of Graham Avenue. The university plans to complete construction by 2029. 

The garage will provide ~1,500 new parking spaces to offer better access and serve heavily used campus areas. Transit and Parking is also evaluating another location east of the Garland Avenue Garage for a surface lot with 100+ additional spaces. 

The decision responds to findings from a campus-wide parking and transportation evaluation, which recommended technology upgrades and more transportation options.

This garage project is a key part of the U of A’s strategy to improve accessibility and mobility on campus. By expanding parking options, the university aims to relieve current parking stress and better support future growth.

Parking officials are also planning to add technology in the campus’s busiest lots and garages that will display the number of available spaces, giving drivers real-time information on parking capacity.

As part of a broader vision, the university has launched four key initiatives: expanding Razorback Transit, increasing parking supply, enhancing peak-demand management, and improving communication. Razorback Transit added more than 11,000 service hours, increasing bus frequency during peak times and extending operating hours for non-peak routes and Safe Ride. 

U of A is also investing in biking and walking infrastructure, with projects like the Maple Street improvements, Oak Ridge Trail, and better bicycle parking already underway. 

A request for proposal is out, and the university is evaluating contractors for the project. With this new garage and supporting transit upgrades, the U of A is preparing for continued enrollment growth and commuter demand. Once built, the parking garage could change how students, faculty, and staff approach parking on campus.