tmyers677

Not sure if this is the right place, but couldn't think of where else it would go.

Alright, my university wants to build a new parking lot and it says its going to cost 7 million dollars to build it. My first reaction was what the fuck. So I emailed the head of the parking department and he said that it cost 3500 dollars per spot. Is there anyone here that knows anything about construction or has an idea how pavement and paint can cost that much?

StanT

That figure probably includes the price of the land.

Pip

You need to do the foundation too, maybe some drainage pipes, plus you have the wages for the workers and the rent of the machines. And maybe you need to buy the land too.

Mbwuto

I've done some construction in my lifetime and seen a couple of parking lots built. Here's the run down of a bank parking lot, less than fifty spaces.

Day 1: Team of ten men level out and smooth lot.
Day 2: Steamroller. Two men
Day 3: Black top. Ten men. One black topping machine, one steamroller
Day 4: More black top(less than half a day). Steamroller rest of day. Five or so men.
Day 5: More steamrolling. Two men.
Day 6:
Day 7: Paint.

I don't know if this was atypical or not since I was doing, and always have done wiring. It seems though that for a lot of only moderate size you need a fairly large crew. Unless they owned the steamroller they were renting it out for four days. They also paid out twenty nine daily wages, which even if they were illegal immigrants(very likely), comes out to paying around two thousand dollars in wages alone. And this only took them a week to do.

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Rodney

Is this a simple, flat blacktop lot, or a parking garage? For a parking garage, I was once quoted $25K per space.

cj2112

If the lot is going to be lit, you have to add in the expense of the lighting, many areas have codes that require you to have so many square feet of landscaping per square feet of parking lot. You also can't just throw some blacktop over dirt and call it good, they will likely have to excavate about a foot or so deep, remove that dirt, then bring in road base (a mixture of gravel and dirt), compact that to approximately 90% compaction and then pave it. The Paint that they will use isn't just an ordinary inexpensive house paint either, it is specifically designed for that purpose, and is also very expensive. You didn't say what part of the country your University is in, but yeah when you figure in what materials cost, what labor costs, what equipment costs, and then add a 30% markup (which is very reasonable) I can see it costing that.

Janey

what's wrong with just pouring some gravel down, and placing concrete bars at the end of each space? why do lots always have to be paved? I can remember when driveways used to be just gravel. then everybody went to asphalt, and now its getting rediculous with the interlock...

jaco

well, youre missing alot of details such as size, type of paving material, type of soil, what is currently on the land, price of land acquisition, cost of living in area *yes construction costs more when you gotta pay the guys more*, etc. but needless to say, large amounts of money can be spent on something so simple as a parking lot. Just think about the fact that your university sent this out to be bid on by general contractors and your $7mil figure was the cheapest one to be found. well, either that or someone is getting a hell of a kickback.

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MSD

It's cheap, but Like the paint to stay on my car and not be sandblasted off when I drive.

la petite moi

Now that I'm in Geology, I've learned about mass wasting, weathering, and erosion. Without all the underground plumbing, etc. and asphalt paving, the gravel could lead to mass wasting and weathering. Not fun for anyone.

Pip

^^^^ *nods* One of my civil engineer friends did his master thesis on gravel erosion on railway tracks. Mindblowing numbers.

balderdash111

There might also be drainage lines to build, no? underground pipes, above-ground drains. Environmental impact studies might cost a bit, too.


Also, gravel doesn't drain well and, if it's in a place where you get snow, will get all displaced when the plows come. (gravel driveway)

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simonrex22

I got one for ya. i started working at a Kmart a few years back that had just been built. the manager told us it cost over 30 million dollars to build a Kmart. WoW!

jorgelito

Reducing the need for cars, the size of cars will reduce costs. A win-win.

In California, a new bill was passed to redraw parking lots so that they can accommodate SUVs. So instead of 1800 spaces, you get 800. That's going backwards. Parking is a nightmare in LA.

slimshaydee

they just built a 6 story high 1000 space parking lot here outside my uni but no one parks there because it costs $8 per day and only student union members can be permits.
They would have wasted millions of that they were building it for months.

thingstodo

I heard about 20 years ago that it cost a million to build one mile of two lane asphalt roadway.

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iamnormal

List of stuff needed.
building permits
environmental impact statements
engineering plans
surveying of site
soil composition tested
site preparation
top soil removed
land grade
soil compacted
drain lines dug
containment pond made
building
lighting pole foundation made
underground wireing installed
crushed gravel laid
gravel compacted to a 6" to 10" depth
asphalt base
asphalt top
topsoil add
landscaping done
grass planted
light poles installed
parking lineds layed out
lines painted
signs added ,stop,handicapped,ect..

Anything else need? Does that list look right?

FloydianOne

Here in atlanta on GaTech's campus they are widening a bridge over a major interstate just to plant some trees and grass. Apparently they are gonna try to pass it off as some sort of park..... that just happens to be directly over one of the busiest intesections in the nation. Complete waste of money in my opinion.... oh yea and time (considering it creates traffic problems, and the construction workers wake me up every fucking morning). Me bias?.... no

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mvassek

You can't forget all of the concrete that goes into it. drains guttering and curbs around landscaped areas, sidewalks through landscaping.

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Martian

Quick bit of math, $7 000 000 for the lot divided by $3500/spot = 2000 spots... that's one huge fucking parking lot. That's where the cost is coming from, they had to buy up that neighbouring county to make room.

Anexkahn

Also asphalt prices follow much the same cuve as gas prices, and right now, asphalt is through the roof. On a recent project we paid $85/ton wheras last year we were paying in the neighborhood of $34.00/ton.

Although with that price tag, i would venture a guess that cost of land acquisition is the biggest piece of the pie, and all the things that go into construction costs and materials are the smaller slices.

eeef2

a key factor left out so far. The STATE is paying for it. 35 dollars per nail and $3.5K for a parking space. sounds ok to me.

MSD

California did something to accomodate SUV's?