HARLINGEN — A new covered parking area at Valley International Airport is about three months away, airport officials say.
The parking areas are being resurfaced and will be adding about 200 spaces to the existing lots to increase close-in parking capacity to about 800 spaces.
“We’re now closing in, and we’re going to be working on that,” said Marv Esterly, director of aviation at VIA. “The first airport in the Valley, I think at this point, to have covered parking for our customers in the next few months.”
The entrance to the terminal building is also set to be enhanced, with new decorative structures and a larger passenger walkway toward the main gate.
Total cost of the project is $6.5 million, paid for through Federal Aviation Administration funds and the airport’s passenger facility fee.
The remote parking lot has been fully repaved and new sidewalks are being put down.
Close-in parking is scheduled to be shut down beginning Feb. 1 for repaving and the installation of the parking canopies.
Airport officials say this will take up to 90 days to complete.
“Three months from now, we should be rocking and rolling,” Esterly said.