Mayor Kraham Announces Opening of First Level of Water Street Parking Ramp

Opening Provides Critical Parking Downtown During Holiday Season as Construction Nears Completion

(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.)—Mayor Jared M. Kraham on Wednesday announced the opening of the first level of the new Water Street parking garage in downtown Binghamton ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Mayor Kraham said: "With the new Water Street parking ramp now open to the public, coming to downtown Binghamton to shop or enjoy a meal will be even easier this holiday season. The new garage replaces a crumbling eyesore with safe, convenient parking for residents and visitors, supporting the small businesses that have helped drive a local economic revitalization. It's a much-needed investment in downtown Binghamton's infrastructure and delivers the amenities residents deserve."

The first floor of the new parking garage opened to the public on Wednesday, providing approximately 40 spots for residents and visitors.

The on-street parking on Water Street also reopened Wednesday morning, with 25 spots available for parkers.

Mayor Kraham also announced the City will provide two hours of free parking for patrons of the Water Street garage from Saturday, November 30^th through Saturday, December 7^th. The perk, which begins on Small Business Saturday, is aimed at encouraging residents to park in the new ramp and support local small businesses as the holiday shopping season gets underway.

Crews are finishing work on the rest of the garage, with construction expected to be complete early next year. The new five-story garage will include about 500 parking spaces in total.

Construction of the $25 million Water Street parking ramp began this spring. Located at the corner of Water and Henry streets and adjoining the Boscov's department store, the new ramp replaces a 52-old-year parking garage the City demolished in 2022 following years of structural concerns.

William H. Lane, Inc., of Binghamton, has served as the general contractor on the construction project.

Once complete, about 60 of the spaces in the new garage will be reserved two-hour parking spots for retail and restaurant patrons to support downtown businesses. The remainder will be available for monthly, overnight and overflow retail parking.