Concerned over aging structure’s safety, Middletown closing arcade parking lot

The arcade parking lot off Court Street and Dingwall Drive in Middletown has closed due to concrete issues. The arcade parking lot off Court Street and Dingwall Drive in Middletown has closed due to concrete issues. Photo: Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Concerned over aging structure’s safety, Middletown closing arcade parking lot 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

MIDDLETOWN — The city’s downtown parking lot on Court Street will no longer be open to the public after Friday afternoon because of significant issues related to crumbling concrete in the nearly 50-year-old structure.

City officials made the decision after numerous structural engineers raised red flags about the facility’s safety, Mayor Dan Drew said in a press release. The lower lot was closed to traffic last week.

“This winter’s constant freezing and thawing has taken a toll on the structure and it is currently in less than ideal condition.

“We have conferred with structural engineers who have informed us that they believe we can operate it for a short time into the future. They believe the structure is safe in the short term, but they agree that closing the facility is the best course moving forward — not because of the danger of a collapse, but instead because of disintegrating pieces of concrete,” Drew wrote in his statement.

The city closed a majority of the garage’s lower level in December 2013.

Dingwall Drive has been temporarily turned into a one-way street to allow vehicles parked in the lower level to exit. Pedestrians may head west from deKoven Drive to Metro Square and back out to Main Street when leaving Metro Square from Dingwall, the release continued.

City officials are working on a plan with the structural engineers to remove the top deck of the arcade so the bottom level can be accessed as a standalone parking lot, Drew said. A financial plan will be submitted to the Common Council for approval once a determination of costs and engineering and demolition timelines are confirmed, he added.