Hartsfield-Jackson warns travelers: South economy lot closing

On the site of the South economy lot, the airport plans to build a new seven-level parking deck will have about 6,500 parking spaces, along with 1,300 surface lot spaces.

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

The South deck is just one part of the 12-year project to renovate and reconstruct the Atlanta airport’s aging domestic parking decks. The work so far has already caused parking shortages, lane closures and headaches for the past year and a half as the decks were reinforced.

Many travelers have encountered full parking decks and lots, forced to find another option to park before rushing to their flights.

And now the 3,000-space South economy lot will be closed, bringing more parking aggravation.

Jamel Miller, a traveler who lives in Riverdale, said he usually parks in the South economy lot for the convenience and dreads what’s coming.

“It’s gonna affect me personally,” Miller said. “How am I supposed to know what to do? ... That’s the main thing that makes me nervous about this.”

Jai Ferrell, chief commercial officer at Hartsfield-Jackson, acknowledged that the South economy lot closure will cause frustration for many travelers.

“It’s not going to be very nice,” Ferrell said. “We get a lot of feedback on social media,” she said. But, “we have to build capacity for future growth.”

Ferrell said Hartsfield-Jackson — already the world’s busiest — is on track to handle up to 108 million passengers this year. Passenger counts for this year through July are up more than 13% from 2022 levels.

There are options for those who have relied on the South economy lot.

Airport officials recommend travelers consider using other parking options, such as the ATL West deck connected to the airport by Sky Train, and to pay close attention to signs on the approach to the terminal. They also advised motorists meeting travelers to use the airport’s cell phone lot or 30 minutes of free parking in the airport decks, instead of waiting in cars at the curbside for passengers.

To prepare for construction, the airport has closed some left-hand lanes near the exit of the Terminal South roadway, alongside the South economy lot site. The lane closures contribute to traffic congestion on the airport roadways, causing gridlock and long backups of cars and shuttles approaching the curbside during busy periods.

“The congestion is impossible,” said Jane Morris, who was meeting a traveler at Hartsfield-Jackson on Thursday. She said her husband had tried to park but couldn’t get into the South parking deck because it had reached capacity, and was circling the airport. “There’s no excuse for this.”

“We’re in our 70s,” making these kinds of hassles more difficult to deal with, Morris said. “And there are fewer people that are there to help you.”

The construction closures are a continuation of parking work being done over the last year and a half in phases. Before the South economy lot closes, the airport will reopen about 2,500 spaces in the North parking deck that were closed for reinforcement of the deck.

Airport officials aim to have the new South deck ready in time for the World Cup in 2026, when Atlanta will be a host city.

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Plans are to put Peach Pass technology for contactless exit in the new South deck, along with electric vehicle parking and premium parking for Gold Reserve members.

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Hartsfield-Jackson is seeking city approval of $200 million in funding for the new South deck, though Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager Balram Bheodari noted the amount is an “initial tranche” of funding and that more funds will be required later to continue the construction.

The existing domestic terminal parking decks were originally built in 1980, and “over the course of 40 years, they’ve pretty much exceeded their intended life,” said Frank Rucker, deputy general manager of infrastructure at Hartsfield-Jackson.

The new deck will serve as replacement parking when the existing South decks are eventually demolished and rebuilt, and will add to the parking capacity at the terminal over the long term.

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

Credit: Source: Hartsfield-Jackson

The new South deck will be the length of two-and-a-half football fields, and one-and-a-half football fields wide, Rucker said. The full reconstruction of the South and North parking decks is expected to be complete in 2034.

Options for getting to Hartsfield-Jackson