Free parking for the China Bridge garage off Swede Alley will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 19, 2023.
The move is seen as a way to make it easier for people to access Main Street businesses during shoulder season before peak winter traffic hits town.
Ginger Wicks, president of the Historic Park City Alliance, which represents Main Street businesses, said she hopes the initiative will drive locals to Old Town.
Park City Councilmember Jeremy Rubell said it’ll be a good test.
“If it’s successful, we’ll probably look to expand the program," Rubell said. "There was conversation around other areas like parking on Main Street or parking on the surface lots around Main Street, if we could do a parking holiday there. And the recommendation was ‘let's start with China Bridge, see how it goes, and we’ll look at our technology and other methods if it’s successful, to see what else we can do for our community.’”
Parking manager Johnny Wasden said paid parking is an important tool to manage traffic on Main Street, as it encourages turnover. He also said paid parking helps incentivize public transit.
The free rates won’t apply to events. That includes the annual Park City Sunrise Rotary Shot Ski in October and Halloween on Main Street.
For those parking in Old Town this week, the S1 entrance of China Bridge is temporarily closed for at least a week due to construction.
