Boise Airport to Start Construction on Two New Parking Garages

Boise, Idaho – An important step in the BOI Upgrade Airport Expansion Project will break ground at the end of the month when construction of an additional public parking garage and an employee parking garage begins. Construction of these garages will happen simultaneously and is expected to take approximately 18-24 months to complete.

DEMAND-DRIVEN GROWTH

The Boise Airport last expanded their close-in parking facility in 2013, increasing garage capacity by 755 stalls. That expansion was forecasted to handle demand for ten years. However, with the airport’s unprecedented growth, seeing passenger traffic increase by 49% from 2014 – 2019, it became clear that additional parking was needed.

This expansion project was briefly paused in 2020 due to decreased demand for travel related to the pandemic, but after seeing a strong rebound in passenger counts at the beginning of 2021, planning for the project resumed.

“Final numbers for 2021 passenger counts are not in yet, but we should be very near our 2019 counts—which was a record-breaking year for the airport,” said Boise Airport Director, Rebecca Hupp. “With this steady demand for air travel from our region comes an increased need for parking.”

GARAGES TO ADD PUBLIC PARKING CAPACITY LONG-TERM

The new public parking garage will be located east of the current parking garage. This facility is planned to be five levels, with an approximate capacity of 1,150 stalls and a pedestrian bridge for easy access to the airport. The garage will also include a seven-lane toll plaza and parking office.

The employee garage is planned to be five levels, with an approximate capacity of 700 stalls and will provide parking for several staff members who work for rental car agencies, airlines, Transportation Security Administration, and retail outlets. The garage will be located along Wright Street, just north of the airport and walking distance to the terminal. The addition of this garage will also boost close-in public parking options, as nearby surface parking that is currently used by airport tenants will be made available for public use.

Both garages will comply with International Green Construction Code as adopted by the City of Boise. $56.2M in bond proceeds from the issuance of general airport revenue bonds will be used to fund construction of the public parking and employee parking garages. McAlvain Construction, a Boise-based contractor, has been awarded the contract.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING CONSTRUCTION?

Close-in parking capacity will be reduced during construction. The airport encourages passengers to utilize the economy parking lot, located at 5600 W. Victory Road. This lot is serviced by a free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes.

Visitors to the Boise Airport can also expect traffic impacts due to construction along the airport loop while trucks enter and exit the construction site. Please use caution and adhere to the posted speed limit and new directional signage due to altered traffic patterns.

WHAT ELSE IS PLANNED FOR THE BOI UPGRADE?

BOI Upgrade is a multi-year capital improvement plan aimed to increase parking, terminal and gate capacity. Projects will be handled in phases and will also include a new rental car lobby and garage, expanded aircraft parking apron and a brand-new concourse, Concourse A (picture attached).

Concourse A will extend to the west of the airport terminal. The new concourse will initially have three gates; however, it is designed with the ability to expand up to 12 gates as demand grows in the future. The concourse will also include restrooms, restaurants and retail stores. While the construction timeline is still tentative, the new concourse is expected to be complete in 2026.

The BOI Upgrade Airport Expansion Project is being funded with a mix of general airport revenue bonds, passenger facility charges, customer facility charges, and general airport revenue with total costs estimated at $200-250M.