Resurfacing project could mean parking woes at Vista courthouse

For anyone planning to park at the Vista courthouse in the coming months, be warned: A nearly $6.9 million parking lot replacement project has temporarily wiped out 120 parking spots.

That’s just the start of a project that will run more than a year. The work will affect different parts of the lot as crews wrap up each phase of the project and move on to the next.

As the work progresses through phases, it will take an average of 80 to 120 spots out of commission, according to the county, which is running the project.

The whole project, which started Monday, will run more than a year, the county said. It’s scheduled to be done in September 2020.

The entire parking lot at the courthouse complex will be replaced. Not only is the asphalt worn, the county said, but water erosion and tree roots have damaged the sub-base as well.

The county said there are about 20 phases in the project — designed to help minimize the impact — and each phase will run a few weeks.

San Diego Superior Court officials say 120 parking spots were roped off Monday.

The spots lost in the first phase are those in front of the doors of the south end of the courthouse complex: the five-story building with the jury lounge on the first floor. That part of the lot is where people with jury duty tend to park.

Court officials warn anyone with business at the court to plan ahead, arrive early and prepare to walk a bit.

“We want to ensure court users get to their appointments and jurors are able to report in on time. We suggest members of the public give themselves a little extra time to find a parking space and walk to the South Entrance starting on the 15th,” Michael Roddy the court’s executive officer, said in a news release announcing the project.