NIH Record - National Institutes of Health

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Parking lot full of cars.
Not an NIH lot but a somewhat-accurate representation of our recent parking crunch. Garage ramp repair, other construction projects and cold weather led to shortages, according to ORS.

Photo:  ninjaMonkeyStudio/iStock

Feedback: 

I’ve noticed that in the last few months parking on the main campus has become profoundly more difficult. Is this due to the construction work in the Bldg. 10 garage or is there another explanation? Given that we’re under a nearly complete hiring freeze, it seems unlikely that the number of employees has increased significantly. Anyway, I thought that a lot of folks on campus might be interested in knowing what’s going on.

Response from the Office of Research Facilities

Parking on the main campus can be difficult. Recent construction on the P-2 ramp in the Bldg. 10 garage did impact parking availability as there was a temporary loss of approximately 75 parking spaces. The ramp is now open, but due to new infrastructure supports for the ramp, approximately 10 parking spaces were lost. While there has been no further loss of parking spaces, availability can be more difficult during the winter, as many NIH staff tend to commute by a single-occupied vehicle rather than by mass transit or bicycling. As the weather and Metro service improve, individuals typically switch back to mass transit or bicycling, thereby improving parking availability.

The Employee Transportation Services Office (ETSO) is here to help all NIH staff with their commuting options. We encourage you to use alternative transportation to reduce traffic and improve air quality.

If you are interested in learning about your commuter options, including transit subsidies, carpools, vanpools, bicycling or Rideshare, visit https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/transportation. You may also contact ETSO at nihparkingoffice@ors.od.nih.gov or (301) 496-5050.

The NIH Record

The NIH Record, founded in 1949, is the biweekly newsletter for employees of the National Institutes of Health.

Published 25 times each year, it comes out on payday Fridays.

Assistant Editor: Eric Bock
Eric.Bock@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Staff Writer: Amber Snyder
Amber.Snyder@nih.gov (link sends e-mail)