DAYTON — Parking garages have been a staple of many major U.S. airports for years, but Dayton International Airport is just now opening one.

The $35 million project became a priority after travelers told Dayton’s airport management in surveys that they wanted a parking garage convenient to the terminal building. The new garage’s entrance is across from the terminal’s entrance.

The airport officially opens the garage, built by Barton Malow Co., today, July 29, with a 1:30 p.m. ceremony. The ground level is for rental cars, and the upper two levels are for public short-term and overnight parking.

Officials hope the garage will help keep Dayton competitive with the Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis airports. Approximately 60 percent of Dayton’s passengers are business travelers heading to destinations that include Atlanta, New York, Denver and Toronto.

The garage will retain a policy of offering the first 30 minutes of parking free, which is designated for people waiting to pick up arrivals.

There are heating coils under the pavement of exterior, sloped ramps to melt snow and ice.

The airport administration’s plans call for installing self-service kiosks to allow travelers to print boarding passes there and avoid the ticketing counter.

The Dayton City Commission on Wednesday, July 28, approved spending $500,000 to buy similar kiosks for inside the terminal. The machines will allow travelers to print boarding passes no matter what airline they are flying.

Passengers are able to use the kiosks with a driver’s license or the credit card used to buy the ticket.

The garage is a first for Dayton’s airport, which dates to the late 1920s and was purchased by the city in 1936.

Former Dayton aviation directors said the airport was one of the biggest in the U.S. not to have its own garage, said Stanley Earley, deputy city manager. City officials estimate the garage will generate approximately $6.6 million in annual revenues.

The project added $10.7 million to the airport’s total debt, airport officials said.

The remainder of the cost was paid for with $17.6 million in revenues from airport operations and $6.75 million in fees paid by car rental companies for being allowed to operate on airport property.

Because a parking garage has a smaller footprint than surface lots, it allows an airport to more efficiently use its real estate, in addition to improving service to customers, said aviation consultant Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International Inc. in Evergreen, Colo.