2 underground garages will allow easy access to cars; facilities to begin operations this year

Work has begun on two automated parking garages in Changsha, Hunan province, to help the city cope with its parking problems.

One, near Duzhengjie Street, will be the deepest garage of its type in China - reaching a depth of 40 meters.

Duzhengjie Street is popular with visitors because of its historic architecture and the wide variety of cuisines on offer, yet many local motorists tend to avoid the area as it can take up to 30 minutes to find a parking space.

"I have to psychologically prepare myself if I want to drive my car there," said Tong Di, a Changsha resident.

However, once the 153-square-meter underground garage nearby is complete, it will offer enough space to park 176 vehicles. Most drivers will be able to park or collect their cars in less than 90 seconds, according to Wan Zhigang, general manager of Zhongdian Jiawang Intelligent Garage Co.

"Drivers only have to drive their vehicles into the entrance. No matter how the vehicles are parked, the system will adjust them. After getting a card from the terminal, the car will be sent down automatically to an available space," he said.

Beneath the first floor of the garage - which will be reserved for large vehicles such as coaches that are parked in the normal way - will be 20 layers of parking spaces.

By offering such a large capacity combined with a limited surface area, automated garages such as this could help solve Duzhengjie's parking problems, Wan said.

However, the densely packed buildings above have posed challenges during the garage's construction.

"The nearest building is just five meters away, so we have to make sure the surrounding buildings are not affected, and also ensure construction safety. It's not easy to operate big machinery in such a limited space. The busy traffic here during the daytime also makes construction slow," said Peng Ying, a company manager.

Elsewhere in Changsha, the company is building a similar garage on Jiuruxiang Street with a capacity for 254 vehicles.

This garage, which descends to a depth of 12 meters, will offer drivers the ability to book parking spaces in advance and pay through a smartphone.

Some of the spaces will even be equipped with charging facilities for electric vehicles, said Peng.

Work began on both garages on July 12 and is set to be completed by the end of October, at a total cost of 103 million yuan ($15.4 million).

Liu Jiangwa contributed to this story.