Ohio State officials shouldn’t have waited to repair a hole on a parking garage roof that created a hazard to cars and people below, an expert in civil engineering said.

“I probably would have expected that to happen fairly quickly after it was discovered,” said Alan Mooney, a professional civil and structural engineer with 40 years of experience and the president of Criterium Engineers in Maine.

“If I were being asked as a consultant to advise somebody on what to do about it, I certainly would have been suggesting immediate action, if only temporary, but something that would at least seal the hole.”

Instead, crews began fixing the hole atop the Northwest Parking Garage, across from the Knowlton School of Architecture, in late September — nearly a year after it was discovered and months after construction was slated to begin.

The five-week repair is estimated to cost $139,120, but officials have put aside extra money in case it costs more than expected.

“As with any construction project, a contingency account is in place to fund construction costs for the ‘unknown,'” said Mary Lynn Readey, associate vice president of Facilities Operations and Development.

For example, the contractor can charge the university more if the hole and others like it are larger than initial measurements showed.

Besides that project, crews will repair garages including the 11th and 12th Avenue parking garages and the West Lane Garage next summer.

The scope and size of those projects have not been determined.

The repairs for holes and corrosion on the Northwest Parking Garage were planned for summer 2010, but getting the documents out to bid caused unexpected delays.

To start the repair process, OSU hired a structural engineer, who submitted project plans to the university for review, Readey said.

After the initial review process, the documents had to go through review again. Then officials had to collect stakeholder signatures.

In June, OSU advertised the repair work online to potential bidders. Five contractors bid on the project, and Boone Concrete Restoration ended up with the project.

According to construction documents from Transportation and Parking Services, the purchase order for repairs was dated Sept. 1, but the due date was the end of June. Readey said that’s because the project was still being developed.

“The project design work was completed at the end of June,” she said in an e-mail. “Between the end of June and the beginning of September, the work was advertised for bid, a contractor was selected and a contract entered into for work to commence Sept. 27.”

Because Mooney has never examined the garage — he has viewed photos of the hole — his expert opinion is limited. However, he said he knows about legal liability.

“There’s a liability any garage owner has when it comes to damage to vehicles or water leaking through the garage,” he said. “It could stain cars.”

Although Readey said the Northwest garage is still structurally sound, the “emergency” repairs were scheduled to limit further deterioration during the freeze-thaw cycles of winter.