Disneyland touts plans for parking

Parking at the happiest place on Earth should be easier to find in the future.

Disneyland has released details of a long-proposed parking structure, a transportation hub and a new pedestrian bridge on the eastern end of the theme park resort.

The project, located east of the resort near the 5 Freeway, includes a 6,800-space parking structure and a transportation hub where buses, shuttles, taxis and other vehicles can drop off park visitors. A pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard connects the resort to the parking structure and the transportation hub.

The structure, along with the 14-acre “Star Wars” land expansion project under construction, is part of a $1-billion investment promised to the city of Anaheim in exchange for a 30-year exemption on an entertainment tax. Construction of the project, dubbed the Eastern Gateway, will begin next year.

The parking structure will be built on Disney’s Pumbaa parking lot, which has about 1,300 spaces. The transportation hub will replace a commercial property that the theme park purchased in 2014. The project is expected to open in 2018.

“The Eastern Gateway is part of our substantial investment in Anaheim, which will provide additional guest parking and help to alleviate congestion in the resort district,” Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said.