Topeka ? More than two years in the making, the often-discussed and sometimes cussed Capitol parking garage is set to open next week.

“I’m hoping it makes the Capitol more accessible,” Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Thursday.

The garage was born in controversy as the first piece of a 10-year, $135 million top-to-bottom restoration of the historic Statehouse.

The $15 million garage project was approved without debate when some officials, including Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, slipped the proposal into the final budget bill of the 2001 legislative session.

Kerr later apologized for his actions, but that didn’t stop the garage from going forward.

In 2002, under former Gov. Bill Graves, a Republican, leading Democratic lawmakers frequently pointed at the project as a waste of money when the state was suffering record budget shortfalls.

But watching the progress of workers digging the hole north of the Capitol soon became a favorite way to kill time for those working around downtown Topeka.

Often during breaks in the Legislature, lawmakers would walk outside or watch through windows as the construction continued.

The 550-spot two-level garage will officially open Tuesday.

More than 125 spots will be available for visitors, who have had problems finding parking due to the restoration going on in other parts of the Capitol.

Sebelius said the restoration of the building — the oldest parts of which are 138 years old — was necessary. Currently, the east wing is closed for renovations that are scheduled to be completed in July 2005.

“It’s one of those infrastructure investments. If we don’t make it now, we will lose the legacy of this magnificent Capitol, which really belongs to all Kansans,” she said.