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Travelers seeking to park their motor vehicles at Portland International Airport will eventually have more spaces to choose from. They just won’t be available until 2020.

That is when a $246 million, seven-story, long-term parking garage is scheduled to open at the airport. The project is in the early design phase, with Yost Grube Hall Architecture at work.

Insufficient airport parking has become plainly apparent, according to Port of Portland spokeswoman Kama Simonds.

鈥淚n the last two to three years our long-term parking garages have been full a lot, especially on Tuesday and Thursday with business travelers,鈥� she said.

When long-term parking spaces fill, there is a ripple effect: drivers tend to head to short-term spaces, which forces more cars into the economy parking lot.

鈥淭he short-term lot is intended for people picking up passengers or those who have business at the airport,鈥� Simonds said.

The new garage will include approximately 2,400 public parking spaces. The facility will also include a customer service lobby and 724,000 square feet for rental cars.

鈥淚t is our goal to have 100 percent of rental cars on site,鈥� Simonds said. 鈥淩ight now, some (companies) shuttle out to remote sites. Getting them close in is something that our customers have asked for.鈥�

Money from taxpayers won’t be used to pay for the new garage, according to Simonds. People who rent and park cars at PDX will pick up the tab.

Flexibility is something that Yost Grube Hall Architecture was told to include in its design.

鈥淲e need flexibility with regards to technology,鈥� Simonds said. 鈥淢aybe in 20 years or even two years self-driving cars will be in use. Then there is car sharing. We want to accommodate all of the different ways that people use cars. We have to be able to produce flexibility in the facility.鈥�

Despite the frequent parking crunch, Portland International Airport ranked as one of the top airports in the country last year. PDX in 2016 saw a 9 percent surge in traffic to nearly 18 million fliers. Port officials are seeking to better serve those travelers via the new garage.

鈥淥ur goal is to have as many spaces as possible up front where people can walk to the terminal,鈥� Simonds said. 鈥淭hat is something that is important to our customers.鈥�

PAE Engineers, KPFF Consulting Engineers and DKS Associates are providing engineering services for the project. JE Dunn Construction will build the facility.

Design work is expected to continue through the third quarter of 2018. Construction is likely to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018 and last through the second quarter of 2020.