With bidding for a new parking structure in Lot 22 closed, the building’s construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in January.

Parking Structure Three — a six-story facility to be located adjacent to San Rafael Residence Hall — will contain 1,052 vehicle spaces. A second asphalt lot with 76 spaces will be located next to the new structure. Tom Roberts, director of Transportation and Parking Services (TPS), said construction should take 15 to 16 months to complete. He said funding for the parking structure will be provided by revenue generated by parking permit sales. However, he said the new structure will not provide a net gain of on-campus parking spaces because other construction projects at UCSB are taking away parking spots.

“We’ll have essentially the same number of spaces as before,” Roberts said. “But there will also be more demand.”

The increased demand will stem from the construction of the new Student Resource Building, which will be located next to the new parking structure, he said. Because of this, more cars will park in the currently lesser-used Lot 22.

“The space there now is underused,” Roberts said. “There are always hundreds of empty spaces.”

Ray Aronson, a representative from UCSB Design and Construction Services, said nearby buildings should not be disrupted by construction, but the service road on the west side of the Thunderdome will be blocked to traffic. Although the bike path between the Thunderdome and the new structure will be re-routed, it will remain open throughout construction, Aronson said. He also said the upcoming holiday season may slow the process.

Aronson said Taisei Construction Corporation bid $19,992,000, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. bid $18,886,000 and Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. bid $17,224,000 for the project. A contractor will not be selected until sometime next week, he said.

Aronson said although Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. supplied the lowest bid, it is too soon to tell if they will receive the contract.

“We have to check the paperwork and the bid bonds from each contractor,” he said. “You have to go with the low bidder if everything checks out.”