WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- Efforts to build up the Salisbury Regional Airport continue to move forward, with county leaders now turning their attention to parking as the airport experiences steady growth.
A new airline, Breeze Airways, recently began service in Salisbury, and the airport's runway expansion is ongoing. With those projects in motion, officials say it's time for parking capacity to catch up.
On a typical Wednesday morning, parking at the airport isn't overflowing. But Airport Director Tony Rudy says planning is crucial to keeping pace with the airport's needs.
"It's kind of a balancing act of, you know, when do you decide to expand the lot? And I think we're at a pretty good point right now where we can safely say we're going to need those additional spots in the next few years," said Rudy.
An expanded parking lot will likely be included in Wicomico County's upcoming Capital Improvement Plan for FY27 through FY31. The CIP is a long-range guide for major county projects.
County Executive Julie Giordano says the proposal is likely to appear in the plan. However, nothing is official until the budget is approved.
"As of right now, as far as I know, and no changes have been made, that this will be put forth as part of the plan," Giordano said.
As for where the new parking would go, Rudy says the airport plans to expand outward rather than build a garage, which he says would be too costly and unnecessary at this point.
Airport staff are eyeing a large patch of unused land directly next to the current parking lot.
"We think we can fit a decent amount of parking spots in this area that we have right now," said Rudy, pointing to the field where the airport welcome sign currently sits.
The CIP is scheduled to be presented to the Wicomico County Council next month. Rudy says airport staff are currently working on a design for the expanded lot. However, construction is still at least a year away. Progress on the project will ultimately depend on county funding and budget decisions.