Corps provides parking for VA facility in Indianapolis

Published June 5, 2012

Finding a parking spot near the Veteran’s Medical Center in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, Ind., is now much easier for patients and staff thanks to a newly completed three-story parking garage designed and built under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The garage, which was designed to meet the Veteran’s Administration (VA) specific needs, will alleviate parking hassles for those using the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center located on Tenth Street.

“The lack of parking in the immediate area has been an extreme hardship for patients and staff of the hospital,” said Louisville District project manager Harry Hottell, “The new parking garage has added 488 new parking spaces to help ease the difficulty of veterans using the facility.”

The construction contract was awarded to Northview Enterprises Inc. out of Louisville, Ky., which is a Military Service Disabled Veteran Owned Company. “They did great work to complete the project on time and under budget,” said Nick Bibelhauser, Fort Knox Resident Office Project Engineer.

Construction of the new parking garage was completed in 14 months. The garage opened to vehicles May 14.

The $9.8 million design-build project consisted of 6,600 cubic yards of concrete, 380 tons of steel and 58 tons of tension cables that would stretch for 110 miles if laid end-to-end.  “It was a unique project and our first parking garage in Indianapolis,” said Hottell. “We are more than pleased with the end result and hope that it makes life easier for the users.” The state-of-the-art structure includes an ADA accessible elevator and ramps for easy wheelchair access for patients.

The Corps has previously done work at the VA Medical Campus in Indianapolis including chiller plants, masonry, caulking, waterproofing, replacements of generators and switchgear and installation of an uninterrupted power supply.

“Working with the VA has been an absolute pleasure,” said Bibelhauser, “The personnel are professional and have great attitudes. I anxiously await my next opportunity to work with their team.”