New parking spots to open soon at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - Charlotte-Douglas International Airport officials say the new parking deck will open in time for the busy Thanksgiving rush.
It's been a long three years for passengers like Cornelius Anderson who travel through Charlotte-Douglass International Airport. "Since they've been doing the construction, you know, we've had to alter parking or I've been allowing myself to be dropped off and then picked up." said Anderson.
In the past year the airport has had close to 22,000 parking spaces which led to congestion and frustration for drivers. "There were delays with traffic depending on the day and the travel and there were times when there were delays people pulling in to drop off," said Anderson.
But the end is in sight for part of this construction project.
Officials are waiting on final certificates from building and code inspectors, hopefully ending years of controversy and construction. "It will have seven levels the bottom, three are rental car and the top four are public," said Interim Aviation Director Brent Cagle.
Passengers will have access to 4000 parking spaces leaving 3000 for rental car customers. With the completion of the new $120 million parking deck, travelers will now be able to walk from the hourly and daily decks to the terminal instead of taking shuttles. "Customers will be able to use this instead of circling the terminal, use this to come inside and wait for their relatives," said Cagle.
Officials say there are concerns when adding new traffic. We saw that over the summer when the airport changed the roadway and people have to re-learn how to get into the airport.
Last year, Thanksgiving was a nightmare for many travelers, there was too much traffic and people were not prepared. "We will have additional resources onsite to help with navigating the deck and navigating traffic but people need to come early and be prepared for a very busy travel season," added Cagle.
Parking will be free for the first hour, after that, it will be $1 for 30 minutes, with a $20 daily maximum.
The opening of the new deck doesn't mean construction and traffic jams will completely stop. Next spring and summer, the airport plans to tear down the elevated road in front of the terminal. The plan is to expand it from three lanes to eight.
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