Smith County Courthouse Parking Garage Tuesday, April 9, 2024, in downtown Tyler.(Les Hassell/Tyler Morning Telegraph Photo)

From his office at the Smith County Courthouse Annex, Judge Neal Franklin has been observing the rapid construction of the new five-story parking garage over the past month.

“It’s right outside my window,” Franklin said.

Initially, Franklin spent several weeks observing the crews moving dirt in and out of the lot. Then, suddenly, they began assembling concrete “legos,” stacking them up to commence construction.

County officials broke ground on the $19 million garage on Oct. 25 as part of a voter-approved bond project, including the new county courthouse. Phase 1, the construction on the multi-level structure has recently reached a milestone, with 50% of the building now erected.

“There’s a lot more work to be done,” said project executive Stephen Flournoy.

Flournoy will oversee all courthouse-related phases with Hoar Construction during the project. At any given time, a team of 12 to 40 construction crew members are busy laying concrete, erecting precasts or managing traffic for trucks and material shipments.

In the months before the erection phase, crews focused on the “earthwork” aspect of the project. This included excavating approximately 3 feet into the soil to reach the necessary bearing capacity. They then utilized select fill dirt to raise the foundational surface to grade.

“When you build a precast garage, the critical path on the job is your dirt work,” Flournoy said. “It’s your footings and foundations in the ground that nobody sees.”

In March, a crane was built onsite to facilitate the movement of more than 500 precast pieces comprising the garage. Once a crane is delivered, it’s imperative to ensure a steady supply of precast construction materials to keep the production crews working without interruption.

While crews were onsite handling dirt, footing and foundation work, all panel precasting was conducted off-site and a calculated schedule was devised to ensure seamless material delivery.

Franklin noted that bad weather days are considered in the construction timeline. Hoar Construction and local partner SCI Construction prepared the ground by laying down a surface that allows work to continue even after adverse weather events.

“Tremendous effort [was] put forth to plan and sequence all this work,” Flournoy said. “We’ve done an exceptionally good job with working with our trades to keep the job moving forward and keep materials coming to the job and have it look like it magically went up overnight.”

As of now, all five levels have been erected, with an estimated additional five to six weeks required to finalize the installation of the precast panels. Following this phase, attention will shift towards reinforcing the structure, optimizing drainage and addressing any remaining miscellaneous tasks to ensure completion.

Later, electricians will be tasked with running electrical conduits and preparing power requirements for the elevator and lighting systems throughout the garage. Plumbing trades will install rain leaders and drain piping to prepare for the upcoming phase of construction.

“We’re right on budget and right on time, so everything’s looking good,” Franklin said.

The parking garage will have more than 540 spaces, two elevators, utility rooms, storage, and IT closets. The project also involved demolishing existing structures, relocating utilities and adding new connections.

Elevators are expected to be delivered around the first week of June, initiating a process that will span approximately 10 to 12 weeks. The garage’s targeted completion is anticipated to be in the early fall, around late August.

“These projects go well when everybody runs at the same pace, and everybody’s objective is to be successful,” Flournoy said. “We’re honored to be a part of this transformational project for Tyler and for Smith County.”

In addition to accommodating Smith County employees, attorneys and jurors, the garage serves as a convenient parking option for everyone, particularly during large events when parking demand is high. It also aims to address downtown walkability and safety concerns by providing parking closer to downtown areas and reducing reliance on distant parking lots.

Currently, parking presents a challenge, especially for those requiring handicap parking.

“We made a couple of extra handicap parking, but we still have challenges with that,” Franklin said. “As we progress with this, there’s going to be quite a bit more handicap parking.”

Once the garage is finished, the annex parking lot will be designated for visitors and handicapped parking, with additional handicap accessibility provided within the garage. Smith County aims to ensure ample parking space for downtown visitors and individuals with disabilities.

Franklin thanked residents for their patience during construction and acknowledged more patience will be needed as the courthouse projects continue and the City of Tyler road transformation begins.

“It’s getting to where the walkability thing is part of downtown,” Franklin said. “This is a game changer.”