Columbia, South Carolina – Columbia’s downtown parking system is about to enter a new stage of repair, renewal and long-term upkeep, beginning with one of the city’s well-known public parking facilities.
The City of Columbia will start structural repairs at the Sumter Street Parking Deck, located at 1400 Sumter Street, on Monday, June 1, 2026.
The work marks the first step in Phase 1 of the city’s multi-year Capital Improvement Plan, a broader effort to restore, modernize and protect public parking decks across Columbia.
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For about four months, public and visitor parking at the Sumter Street deck will be unavailable while crews carry out planned improvements.
Monthly parking arrangements will also be adjusted during the project. Parking Services has already contacted reserved parkers directly to coordinate changes and help reduce disruptions as much as possible.
The repair work will focus on several important structural needs. Crews will repair concrete spalls, delamination and exposed reinforcement, address cracks in concrete surfaces, replace deteriorated joint sealant, install new expansion joints, apply traffic coating and restripe parking stalls.
These improvements are meant to strengthen the deck, improve safety and extend the life of the facility.
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The city is also making additional upgrades across city-owned parking decks, including improved lighting, updated security cameras, deep cleaning and fresh painting.
Together, the work is designed to create a safer, cleaner and more reliable parking experience for employees, residents, visitors and businesses in downtown Columbia.
City officials said renovations will be completed one deck at a time to limit the impact on the public. Signs will be placed before and during construction to explain the work and direct drivers to nearby alternative parking options. Parkers can view other City of Columbia parking locations at https://parking.columbiasc.gov/downtown-parking-map/.
After Sumter Street, other parking decks scheduled for repair during Phase 1 include the Taylor Street Deck, Arsenal Hill Deck and Lady Street Deck. At those facilities, phased work is expected to allow partial access during the repair period.
A key reason for the project is concrete corrosion, a common problem in aging parking decks. When water enters porous concrete, it can reach the reinforcing steel inside. Over time, that steel corrodes, expands and breaks the surface concrete, sometimes exposing the steel beneath. If left untreated, this type of damage can affect the structure’s long-term integrity.
The parking deck work is part of Columbia’s Parking Revitalization Plan, a long-term reinvestment effort tied to the parking rate increase approved by City Council on December 4, 2024, and implemented on March 1, 2025. The plan directs updated parking revenue back into maintaining and improving city parking facilities.
For project updates, reopening information and parking alternatives, residents can visit https://parking.columbiasc.gov/.
