Aug. 18--John Wayne Airport will begin work this year on a $3.8 million expansion of the Terminal C parking structure, which will add 1,500 close-in spaces by 2016.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved the architect-engineering agreement that will allow the expansion to proceed.
Balfour Beatty Construction and IDS Group Joint Venture will plan the expansion and provide project and construction management oversight.
Airport officials initially planned to delay the Phase 2 parking expansion until demand warranted it. The initial phase provided 2,040 spaces.
Airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said management decided to go ahead with the expansion now because several rental-car companies have asked for additional space for vehicles, which currently are limited to the lower levels of structures A2 and B2 across the street from the terminal. The companies have had to park excess cars offsite.
Wedge said the airport tentatively plans to allow the rental companies to park additional cars on the Level 5 rooftop of the Terminal C structure.
