Drivers in Graz can finally breathe a sigh of relief: after months of delay, the underground parking garage on Andreas-Hofer-Platz was reopened on Thursday. Originally, the renovation should have been finalized last November, but it took three quarters of a year longer.

The main reason for this was inconsistencies with the City of Graz. In the course of track construction work, a pedestrian underpass leading to Neutorgasse was removed. However, this tunnel also served as an escape route for the garage. As a result, considerable additional costs were incurred and a new trade license was required.

The opening also took place with this bitter aftertaste. The dispute has not yet been finally resolved, says Georg Eisenberger, legal representative of the garage owner Acoton: "The management is still in talks with the holding company, I believe that a lawsuit will still be filed."

229 new parking spaces for Graz
For car drivers, the garage now offers relief in the form of 205 underground parking spaces and 24 on the surface. First opened in 1964, it is the oldest parking garage in Graz, which is why the electrics and ventilation, among other things, had to be replaced. A final visual refurbishment is still pending.

In future, you will only be able to pay cashless. "Overall, the new parking technology means an optimization of the service for our customers," says Stephan Opitz from the operator Contipark, which is the market leader in Austria and Germany with more than 580 parking facilities.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.