Disneyland officials have informed nearby residents that construction on the planned Eastern Gateway parking structure is projected to continue into early 2029, as Blog Mickey reported. The updated construction schedule extends completion roughly two and a half years beyond the project's official groundbreaking date and places its opening after two major regional events scheduled for 2028 in the city of Anaheim.
Crews officially broke ground on the Eastern Gateway development on August 24th, marking the commencement of vertical construction on a portion of the former Manchester cast member parking lot. Disneyland Resort President Jill Estorino attended the August groundbreaking ceremony. While Disney executives initially noted that building the multi-story garage would require a multi-year effort, no specific completion date was provided at the time of the initial site work.
Disneyland representatives disclosed the revised early 2029 timeline during a recent community meeting with local residents, citing an estimated construction duration of nearly three years. Project representatives noted during the resident briefing that the construction schedule remains subject to change as physical work moves forward on the site. An official public opening date for the facility has not yet been announced by Disneyland Resort leadership.
The Eastern Gateway parking structure represents the first major construction component of the broader DisneylandForward resort expansion initiative. Disney originally unveiled plans for the Eastern Gateway project in June 2025, describing the parking and transportation infrastructure as foundational support needed to handle increased visitor traffic as new park experiences open across the resort properties.
Municipal filings illustrate recent adjustments to the physical design and scale of the proposed parking facility. In December, Disney submitted building permit applications for an eight-story parking garage encompassing 3.2 million square feet and featuring 302 electric vehicle charging stations. An updated permit application submitted in October revised those initial specifications, trimming the structure down to seven levels while increasing the planned electric vehicle charger count to 316 stalls.
Once fully operational, the seven-level garage is designed to accommodate approximately 6,000 parking spaces. Beyond vehicle parking, the completed site facility will incorporate dedicated drop-off and pickup areas for shuttles and rideshare vehicles, on-site security screening facilities, and direct vehicular access routes originating off Disney Way. Furthermore, the existing resort bus drop-off and pickup station currently located along Harbor Boulevard is scheduled to relocate directly to the Manchester lot development site.
Pedestrian access between the new parking complex and the theme park entrances will be facilitated by an elevated pedestrian bridge spanning Harbor Boulevard. The bridge will connect the Eastern Gateway structure directly to an all-new esplanade arrival zone. City planning documents indicate that the general public will also be permitted to utilize the elevated pedestrian walkway across Harbor Boulevard.
The projected early 2029 completion date means the parking facility will not be operational in time for the opening of the planned Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure. Announced at the D23 fan convention in August, the expansion will double the physical footprint of Avengers Campus and introduce two new attraction rides: Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab. Both new attractions are slated to open to theme park guests in 2028, prior to the expected completion of the supporting 6,000-space garage.
Additionally, the extended timeline places the garage completion after the arrival of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Southern California. According to information released by the City of Anaheim, the Honda Center is set to host the indoor volleyball competition during the 2028 Summer Games over a two-week period in July 2028. The overlap will bring Olympic spectators and international visitors to Anaheim while the Eastern Gateway project site remains an active construction zone along Disney Way.
