Charleston International Airport parking to expand

The growing number of passengers at Charleston International Airport will soon have more places to park.

Work should begin by late March or early April on the addition of 428 new parking spaces in a wooded area adjacent to the existing surface lot behind the parking deck.

Construction will take a little over five months on the $1.4 million job awarded to Sanders Brothers Construction Co. of North Charleston, said airport spokeswoman Becky Beaman.

The surface parking lot extension near International Boulevard will allow room in the future for the airport to double the size of its 1,200-space parking deck into the existing surface lot.

"We need the additional space to accommodate the displacement of parking spaces for the second parking deck we are planning," said Bill New, deputy director of airports for Charleston County Aviation Authority.

Parking fees are not expected to increase to pay for the parking lot expansion, New said.

"There's been no talk of that," he said.

Surface parking now costs $8 a day, compared to $15 daily for a space in the garage. The first half-hour is free, and each additional half-hour costs $1 in surface and deck parking.

The airport saw a record 2.5 million people pass through its gates in 2011, or 25 percent more than the previous year. The number of passengers is expected to double by 2030, according to airport officials.

To handle the expected growth, the expanded parking lot is just one of the many construction projects people will encounter at Charleston International over the next four years as the 27-year-old terminal building undergoes a major makeover.

Work should begin by summer on expanding the apron near the two concourses so they can be extended, adding six new gates to the existing 10.

The estimated $150 million airport expansion project will increase the size of the 324,000-square-foot terminal building by 25 percent, including the addition of a third baggage carousel.

Expanding the concourse throats and reconfiguring the mostly unused federal inspection station will allow more passenger screening lanes to speed up lines at security checkpoints and provide more space for workers.

Restrooms will be installed in vacated lounges, and more retail vendors will be set up past security checkpoints.

Reach Warren L. Wise at 937-5524 or on Twitter at @warrenlancewise.