What Big Changes Are Coming to the Boise Airport?

The Boise Airport is growing once again. It wasn't long ago that the airport struggled to find airlines that would service Idaho's largest city. As the Treasure Valley grows, the Boise Airport has more flights and passengers arriving and departing daily.

Now the airport will continue its upgrades known as the BOI Upgrade Expansion Project. The airport will break ground on an additional parking garage and an employee parking garage, the airport announced in a release. The airport estimates that the structures will take 18-24 months. The construction will begin at the end of this month.

The current capacity of the Boise Airport is only 755 stalls. The last expansion was in 2013, and officials hoped it would last for ten years. The airport has seen passenger traffic increase to just under fifty percent. The expansion plans began in 2020 but were halted due to the travel shutdown caused by the Covid Pandemic.

"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 to an increased need for parking."

The new parking garage will be five levels and have over 1,150 stalls including a pedestrian bridge. The bridge will allow folks easier access to the airport. The new garage will have a seven-lane toll plaza, a parking office and will be located east of the current garage.

Parking will be a challenge during the new construction. Airport officials say that passengers should use the economy parking lot on West Victory Road. There is a shuttle that runs every fifteen minutes. Airport officials caution that traffic will be more of an issue due to the additional traffic from the new construction.

The airport's upgrades will continue, including a new rental car lobby and a brand new Concourse A. The new concourse will have to begin with three gates to expand to twelve. Officials believe it will be complete by 2026. Along with the new concourse, there will be retail shops, restaurants, and restrooms.

The project's total cost is estimated to be between $200-$250 million.