Mercer County Courthouse – Parking Garage Monitoring, Maintenance and Repair
The existing County of Mercer Courthouse Complex is presently under construction. The original parking garage for the courthouse was a 3 level reinforced concrete two way joist structure constructed around 1975. In recent years, serious deterioration of the parking deck concrete occurred primarily due to aggressive attack by de-icing salts and chronic leakage of joints. The principal parking structure was demolished in 2009 except for a single level parking deck which will remain in service during the construction of the new County Courthouse complex for parking use by key personnel involved in the administration of the County Criminal Court.
CME was retained by the Mercer County Department of Central Services beginning in 2005 to assist them with the monitoring and maintenance of the multi-level parking deck so that it could continue to provide vital parking facilities for the administration of the Criminal Court. CME provided the following scope of structural engineering services for the parking facilities.
• Performance of a structural condition survey for both the multi level parking deck and the plaza level parking deck;
• Design of reinforcement for existing distressed entrance stairways and ramps;
• Design of concrete repairs;
• Identification of Spall Repairs;
• Preparation of a work plan for completion of repairs, monitoring and maintenance of the structure. Maintenance and reinforcement design included steel deck shoring, parapet and façade anchorage; maintenance and sealing of
leaking joints, removal of concrete spalls and application of concrete repair coatings;
• Performance of structural analyses to provide a load rating for conversion of the existing plaza deck to parking use for the period of new construction
• Periodic monitoring of the structures;
• Coordination with the County Department of Central Services and the County Bridge Maintenance force in implementing reinforcement and repairs necessary to maintain the structures in service as long as needed.
CME Associates is continuing to assist Mercer County with monitoring of the remaining parking deck during the period of new Court construction. CME Associates also has provided consultation to Mercer County for maintenance of facilities including the existing Criminal Courthouse, and the County Detention Facility.