Some of the most important maneuvering done at the state Capitol during legislative sessions will be a little easier when the General Assembly convenes in January.

With parking at a premium, Arkansas Building Authority director Ann Laidlaw says work to add about 160 new spaces in the Capitol complex should be completed by the end of the year.

About 50 of the new spaces will be located around the grassy mall area sandwiched between the Big Mac building and state Department of Education building, across from the west entrance to the Capitol.

The rest of the spaces are being added to the parking lot between the Justice Building and the Ledbetter Revenue Building southwest of the Capitol.

Cost of the project is about $430,000, which is funded by General Improvement Funds from the governor’s office.

Earlier this year, lawmakers discussed building a 2,000-space parking deck to relieve parking problems that have existed at the Capitol for decades. Laidlaw said the price tag would have been more than $10 million. This spring, the Capitol Parking Control Commission agreed to add surface parking after a consultant’s report concluded it would be more cost effective to redesign existing parking lots.