by Jack Penning

It's Spring Break parking crunch time at PDX. The Port of Portland says the economy and long-term parking lots are at, or over, capacity. When we shot our story out at the airport Thursday, we saw dozens of cars wedged into every imaginable place, with many parked right in front of giant "No Parking" signs. I don't think they have to worry about getting towed, because the Port just doesn't have enough parking to handle the demand on ultra-busy holidays.

PDX will set an all-time Spring Break record for travelers, with almost 43,000 a day all week, or 800,000 through the holiday. Passenger traffic at the airport is up by about 3% over last year's record. The big problem for parking: more of those new travelers are driving their cars out to the airport, instead of taking MAX, cabs, or shuttles. While passengers are up 3%, car traffic is up 6%, meaning the lots just don't have enough spaces.

I've compiled some resources to help you navigate PDX parking. Just click on these links before you leave home, and they'll tell you if spaces are available, or if you should think about riding MAX, or cabbing it.

- Current Parking Status: Once here, just click on the lot you're interested in, and it will show you how full it is.
- Ground Transportation: If the lots are full, here's how to get to PDX.
- Tri-Met's MAX: The Red Line light rail runs from Beaverton to PDX, with easy connections to and from the Blue and Yellow Lines, and the Portland Streetcar.
- PDX Travel Tips: The Airport's advice, before you head out.

Another good tip, from a guy we met out at the airport by the name of Howard Baumann: forget about trying to find a spot near the front of the economy lot. Just drive right to the overflow area in the back. If there's going to be a spot, it's going to be there, and you'll save yourself a lot of time and frustration. Of course, Howard will probably be upset that I shared his secret with all of you!

One other note, before I sign off. My step-mother wrote me an e-mail a little while ago. She told me my blog was old, outdated, and needed attention! So, with that in mind, I hope to be a little more diligent about updating it. I'll try to post something new here at least once a week. If my step-mom doesn't catch it, I sure hope you will.

E-mail me anytime at jpenning@kgw.com.