Cracks appear in floor of world's largest bicycle parking garage in Utrecht

The world's largest bicycle parking, near Utrecht Central Sation, is showing signs of damage just three years after its opening. Cracks have appeared in various floor sections of the structure. The cracked corridors have been cordoned off. There are no safety risks, a spokesperson for the municipality of Utrecht said to RTV Utrecht.

The problem seems to lie with the expansion joints in the parking facility, which are supposed to absorb the effects of the concrete floor's expansion and contraction during temperature changes. The expansion joints aren't functioning optimally, resulting in cracks in some places and bumps where concrete pushed up in others, the municipality said.

Seven joints need to be replaced, according to the broadcaster. The municipality launched a liability procedure to recover the costs from the architect and commissioned a contractor to repair the defects. The work should be completed at the end of July.

The concrete bicycle parking garage under Stationsplein is the largest in the world, with room for 12,500 bicycles. It opened in August 2019.