Why Richmond airport parking is so tricky right now
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Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
The Richmond airport's parking garages have been forced to temporarily close at least once a week since mid-September because they keep filling up.
Why it matters: If you're planning to travel, you may want to start pestering friends for an airport ride.
State of play: Richmond International Airport is about a month into a four-month lighting project.
- It's replacing the old garage light fixtures with new LEDs — work that has temporarily taken some parking spaces out of service, airport spokesperson Troy Bell tells Axios.
- As many as nearly 1,000 of the airport's 7,000 garage spaces have been unavailable on some days as the project moves around.
- Whether the garages fill up depends on how busy the airport is, but generally, Wednesday through Saturday have been the "peak days."
Zoom in: Folks planning to park at the airport should check its social media for updates and plan to leave 15-30 minutes earlier than usual, just in case, Bell says.
- If the garages are full, travelers will be directed to economy lots ($10 a day), which require a shuttle to get to the terminal.
- Detour signs along Airport Drive will alert folks that garages are full.
Fun fact: Valet parking, which costs $30 a day compared to $15 for the garages, is also an option. Bell says the airport has seen a roughly 35% increase in its use since work started.
What we're watching: The light project is ahead of schedule, Bell says. So it could wrap up even earlier than its mid-December deadline.
What's next: Work on a separate project — landscaping between the garages — will begin in mid-November.
- That work will take 144 garage spaces out of circulation until it's done at the end of March.