McGhee Tyson Airport It closed the surface area near the terminal as it prepared to break ground on a new parking lot that had been delayed for months broke the record for high passenger traffic throughout the summer.

surface party, formerly known as short-term parkingIt is next to the terminal. It will host the airport 185 million dollar new parking lotThis will add a much-needed 3,500 parking spaces when completed in early 2027. The garage is estimated to cost $190 million before financing for the airport is secured.

The surface area was closed to new cars on November 1, but the airport allows passengers who previously parked in the lot to keep their vehicles there. McGhee Tyson will host the groundbreaking ceremony for the new parking lot, the most expensive project in its history, on November 7.

The airport will also unveil a program called Flight Plan that includes a separate website to share updates from the garage. terminal expansion projects.

Closing the surface area complicates parking for the airport, which is expected to have over 3 million passengers for the first time this year. The airport increased its prices by renaming two economy lots as “terminal” lots in June and opened new overflow economy lots with shuttle service farther from the terminal.

“Parking will be available to the public when they need it, but it can be fluid,” Becky Huckaby, the airport’s vice president of public relations, told Knox News. he said. “So we encourage people to check the website to see what’s available before heading out.”

McGhee Tyson Airport does not accept parking reservations

The airport displays live availability of various parking options on its page. website. Reservations are not taken for parking, so it is important to monitor availability during busy travel times.

“We hope that with the new systems implemented in the new garage, we will have more capacity to do different things with parking,” Huckaby said. “But we don’t have the ability to make reservations for now.”

New garage big step towards terminal expansion

McGhee Tyson planned to break ground on his new garage over the summer but postponed the work until later seven new flights It attracted record traffic. Frontier service to Philadelphia International Airport, one of the seven additions, was canceled in August.

The garage, dubbed the “mountain garage” by staff for its Smokies-inspired design, will be the airport’s most prominent building. It was designed by Gresham Smith and McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and will be built by Messer Construction.

The airport will retain its existing garage after the new one is built, but may explore demolition options in the 2030s.

The new garage is a step toward a major expansion of the McGhee Tyson terminal scheduled to begin in 2027, with the addition of six gates by 2029. By 2050, the airport is expected to have almost twice as many gates. early concept drawings.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focusing on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email [email protected].

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This article first appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel: McGhee Tyson Airport closes parking lot for $185 million garage construction