March 19, 2014
On Tuesday, March 18, 2014, the Ecopark Economy Parking Lot #1 closed to allow construction of a new parking garage and connecting road, according to the Houston Airport System.
Ecopark 1 lot is directly west of the airport's covered parking garage, and the Houston Airport Authority is currently directing passengers to use Ecopark 2, located on the other side of the covered garage. Ecopark 2 was expanded from 356 to 1,012 parking spaces in November, 2013.
Vehicles still parked in Ecopark 1 after March 28 will be moved to the Ecopark 2 area. For assistance in locating their vehicles, airport passengers can call 713-641-7770, or use the courtesy phone located at Ecopark 2.
New construction of a multilevel parking garage at the site of the Ecopark 1 lot will add another 3,000 parking spaces at Hobby Airport.
The new parking garage and road improvements are part of Hobby's international terminal expansion plan. Groundbreakng for the new terminal took place in September, 2013, and the project is expected to be completed in 2015.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) will pay the bulk of the $156 million for the international terminal expansion project. The airline's is building a new five-gate terminal, expanding Hobby's security checkpoint to meet international travel requirements, and updating the terminal's airline ticketing area.
The City of Houston is expected to pay about $67 million for the new parking garage and roadway improvements.