Construction of the first multilevel parking garage on the University of California, Davis, campus -- with space for 830 vehicles -- will begin Monday, May 4, near the northeast corner of campus. The $10 million project, funded by parking fees, responds to a growing need for parking in an area of campus where new classrooms and student support services have been or are being built. The structure will provide convenient access to Toomey Field, Freeborn Hall, Memorial Union, the planned Social Sciences and Humanities Building and other buildings in the core of campus. Adding a net total of 200 more parking spaces to the area, the new garage will replace lot 13, a small surface parking lot located north of Hickey Gymnasium near Howard Way, and lot 11, next to the Memorial Union, where construction will begin later this year on the Social Sciences and Humanities Building. The structure is part of a campus transportation management plan designed to meet existing and future demands for parking while also encouraging the use of public transit and other alternative modes of transportation. During the day, students, faculty, staff and visitors are expected to use the garage, which will have 100 parking meters, while those attending campus athletic and cultural events are expected to use the facility in the evenings and on weekends. The award-winning architect for the project, HGHB Inc., of San Francisco, has extensive experience designing parking structures for public organizations. The firm recently completed three garages in the city of Napa, and one garage in Monterey at Cannery Row that received a merit award from the American Institute of Architects for design excellence and innovation. The five-level, 270,000-square-foot garage will have one level below ground, one at the surface and three above ground, with covered parking for four levels and rooftop parking. A concrete structure with a modern design, the garage will feature shatter-proof glass panels on the north side facing Russell Boulevard, a cascading outdoor stairway on the western side of the garage that faces Howard Way and built-in security features. "The objective of the design is to make the structure look not like a parking garage but like an attractive facility," said Jerry O'Hearn, project manager with the campus architects and engineers office. The project, including new landscaping, is expected to be completed in early 1993. Vehicle and pedestrian traffic are expected to be affected only slightly by the construction. Howard Way, the main north entrance to the campus, will remain open, including the bus terminal. Existing parking lots in the area will absorb those who regularly park in lot 13. That lot, with 100 spaces, will close when construction begins. To minimize any impact of increased traffic in the area, the parking structure project also includes a number of roadway improvements. These changes, developed in coordination with the city of Davis, include improvements on Howard Way; the intersection of Howard Way, Russell Boulevard and College Park; Anderson Road; and the intersection of La Rue Road, Russell Boulevard and Anderson Road.