Finding a covered parking spot at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is about to get a lot easier.

Houston City Council members recently approved funding for the construction of additional parking — 2,200 covered spaces — for ecopark II, to be located on Will Clayton Boulevard. The project is budgeted for $14.5 million, covered by airport funds, and is scheduled to open January 2016.

Like the current ecopark lot at IAH, ecopark II will offer a cost efficient on-airport parking option, including quick access to the terminal buildings via free 24/7 shuttle service.

Council members approved a construction contract with Teal Construction Co. to build the new lot, which is expected to generate $4 million in annual fees.

Coupled with the new parking garage that’s being built at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) — which is part of the $156 million Southwest international concourse project — the Houston Airport System (HAS) will add more than 5,000 new parking spaces at its two commercial airports.

The project addresses an increased demand at both airports, where record-setting passenger numbers continue to rise. More than 53 million passengers passed through HAS’s airports in 2014 — more than 41 million at IAH and nearly 12 million at HOU — and those numbers are expected to continue to rise with the completion of the international concourse at Hobby as well as the expansion projects planned for the north terminal complex at Bush Airport.

The current ecopark lot at IAH offers access to more than 8,500 parking spaces, with 1,650 of those providing drivers with a covered spot.  The ecopark lot can also accommodate oversized vehicles through its entrance at the north gate located off JFK Boulevard's feeder road.

Reservations will be available for both ecopark lots and can be made online. Otherwise, parking availability at is based on a first-come, first-serve basis.