OREANDA-NEWS. CLT's new Hourly Deck is open, providing 4,000 public parking spaces on the top four levels just in time for the holiday travel rush. It's the first time in almost two years that the Airport has provided parking within walking distance to the terminal. The opening marks a major milestone in the CLT 2015 Development Program.

"The soft opening of the deck went extremely well this morning, and we are very pleased to let our customers know the new Hourly Deck is officially open," said Interim Aviation Director Brent Cagle. By 1:30 p.m. today, 500 customers had used the deck. That number is expected to climb in coming days.

The USD 120 million deck, which took three years to build, is 3.2 million square feet (twice the size of the terminal) and covers 12 acres. It includes: 4 Pay&Go stations, 9 electrical vehicle charging stations for 18 vehicles, 2 helixes (West and East), 3,000 induction fluorescent lights, a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for cell phone coverage, restrooms on level 2 and animal relief areas on the exterior. The top four public levels contain aviation themes - a space shuttle, airliner, Wright Flyer and hot air balloon - to help drivers remember where they parked.

Access to and from the terminal is available on the second level. Customer representatives are positioned throughout the parking structure to assist passengers.

The deck's bottom three levels include a rental car return facility with 3,000 rental car spaces, check-in counters and a service area to wash and refuel the vehicles. When completed, passengers will pick up and return their rental vehicles inside the deck. It is scheduled to open in February 2015.