Construction has begun on a $3.75 million parking lot expansion at Victoria International Airport (VIA).

325 new spaces will be created on excess land immediately to the south of the main parking area made available following the realignment of Willingdon Road some five years ago.

James Bogusz, Victoria Airport Authority's Vice-President of Operations and Development, says the project will also improve pedestrian and cyclist access to VIA's passenger terminal.

"We're not only adding more parking for our passengers, we now have the opportunity to extend a connection from Willingdon Road to the passenger terminal for users of the Flight Path bicycle trail recently built around the perimeter of the airport. What's great about this is if cyclists or pedestrians need to use the facilities at the terminal, or stop and grab a coffee, they will be able to do so without having to cut through fields or walk along the road," Bogusz said.

Once completed this fall, VIA's parking capacity will grow to over 1,400 stalls and significantly reduce the need for peak period overflow provisions that routinely saw parts of the airport grounds used as makeshift lots. The project also includes environmental impact mitigators such as rain gardens and stormwater management systems, and new electric vehicle charging stations will be provided along with two covered walkways for passengers.

In other news, the authority is making progress on the installation of a new water line following an April 13th mishap that resulted in the closure of the terminal's White Spot restaurant and lingering issues at the facility.

"The sudden rupture of the terminal's main water line was an unexpected setback that caused a lot of disruptions, but we are happy to report that by the end of the month a permanent water line connection will be completed and the White Spot restaurant will re-open later this summer," said Bogusz.

VIA is British Columbia's second busiest airport with 1.7 million passengers passing through its gates annually. C

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