COLUMBIA, S.C. — Structural repairs are coming to one of downtown Columbia’s busiest parking decks as the city moves forward with a long-term plan to improve public parking. 

The City of Columbia will begin work at the Lady Street Parking Deck, located at 1100 Lady Street, in January 2026. The project marks the start of Phase 1 of the city’s multi-year Capital Improvement Plan, aimed at upgrading and maintaining parking infrastructure across downtown.

The Lady Street project is expected to take about three months. During that time, public and visitor parking at the deck will be unavailable for approximately 12 weeks, and some monthly parking arrangements will be adjusted. City officials said work will be completed one deck at a time to minimize disruptions. 

In December 2024, the Columbia City Council voted to increase parking rates citywide. Officials said these changes were implemented in March 2025. Revenue generated from the increased parking rates is reinvested in all city-owned parking facilities.

The Columbia Parking Capital Improvement Program (CIP) focuses on maintaining, repairing, and enhancing city-owned parking facilities to ensure they remain safe, accessible, and reliable for all users. 

City officials said parking CIP projects are funded through parking revenues and are reinvested directly into parking infrastructure improvements. These projects address both immediate needs and long-term facility sustainability.

Planned repairs include fixing cracked concrete, replacing deteriorated joint sealant, installing new expansion joints and addressing exposed reinforcement. The city is also investing in added lighting, updated security cameras, deep cleaning and fresh paint across city-owned parking decks.

Some residents said the changes are needed as downtown continues to grow.

“That deck on Lady Street, I think the height of the deck can be sometimes a little challenging, but yeah, I think it’s necessary,” said Moe Lonergan, a Chapin resident.

Columbia resident Troy Metts said downtown parking has changed as development has increased.

“It used to be more open because there didn’t used to be so much development around here,” Metts said.

The city said increased development downtown is one of the reasons repairs and upgrades are necessary.

Future parking decks scheduled for Phase 1 repairs include the Taylor Street, Arsenal Hill and Sumter Street decks. City officials said phased construction will allow for partial access at those locations.

Drivers are encouraged to check the city’s downtown parking map for alternative parking options during construction.