Commuting just got a little easier for residents of Richmond and surrounding cities with today’s opening of a 750-space parking garage at the Richmond BART station.
The five-story garage adds 120 parking spaces to the station and is now the only parking option at the Richmond station, located at 1700 Nevin Ave.
A surface parking lot on the east side of the station has closed to make way for a commercial development, said Chad Smalley, a development project manager for the city of Richmond.
Commuters parking in the garage are required to pay $1 between the hours of 4 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
BART spokesman Jim Allison said the daily fee helps cover construction and maintenance costs as well as security staff to patrol the parking structure.
“We understand there are some people that have no choice other than to drive their single-occupancy vehicle to BART,” he said. “There will always be parking at BART, but we also want to make sure those people are helping pick up the cost of what it takes to provide that parking.”
The $1 fee may be paid either by linking a Clipper card to a tag hung inside a vehicle or with cash at an Add Fare machine inside the station.
More information about how to pay for parking can be found at www.bart.gov/guide/parking/index.aspx.
Laura Dixon, Bay City News
