It’s going to be an exciting few years at Disneyland Resort as construction teams build future attractions that Disney has been teasing for a couple of years. We checked in on progress as one of these projects begins in earnest, kicking off an incoming domino effect on different aspects of the guest experience.
Disneyland is prepping for the next phase of major expansion, as seen in new photos we captured onsite. Keep reading for a look at this progress and how it could impact your future trips. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney selling pieces of theme park history in an upcoming sale and our review of Disneyland’s new celebrity chef restaurant.
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Disneyland Construction Begins that Will Unlock Major Additions
Active construction sites currently populate multiple areas within Disneyland property: the future homes of a Coco ride, two new Avengers rides, a steakhouse, and Disney’s first Porto’s, the popular Cuban pastry chain.
Plus, Disneyland may have even more news up its sleeves as Disney prepares for major theme park announcements at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the company’s official convention. Please read our predictions for what we could learn at D23 here.
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Another area of Disney’s property has just joined this growing list as the first necessary step in what will eventually make way for an Avatar land at Disney California Adventure.
A cast member parking lot located on South Manchester Avenue, east of the Disney theme parks, is now closed. This will soon be where the new Disneyland transportation hub will be located, including a new parking structure and a dedicated area for rideshare drop-offs and pick-ups.
This new structure will include 6,000 parking spaces, security screening, and rideshare areas. The parking structure will be 3,257,394 square feet with 8 levels. There will be a bridge from the parking structure over Harbor Boulevard to connect to the eastern entrance of Disneyland.
A newly constructed bridge will traverse Harbor Boulevard, connecting the new transportation hub to the Disneyland Esplanade and theme park access. Disney shared this concept artwork in 2025.
Once the new transportation hub opens, the current one can close, which, in turn, will mean construction can begin to replace it with a new land themed to James Cameron’s Avatar films. The land will be part of Disney California Adventure. The current transportation hub is located immediately beyond the park’s perimeter. The Avatar land will also replace some portions of Disney California Adventure’s nearby Hollywood Land, including its Monsters, Inc. ride, which will close in early 2027.
We stopped by the just-closed cast member lot to check in on progress so far.
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Disneyland New Transportation Hub Construction
We recently enjoyed a Disneyland visit while staying at Element by Marriott Anaheim Resort Convention Center. Click that link to see our review. It’s a quick, 10-minute walk from the parks. The hotel’s location happens to provide a great view of the first step toward Disney California Adventure eventually building the Avatar land. The photo above has the Element by Marriott parking lot in the foreground and recently closed parking lot in the background.
From the Element, we looked out over the massive cast member parking lot on South Manchester that just closed. In the photo above, you can get your bearings by seeing Incredicoaster and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – BREAKOUT! toward the top left.
A Disneyland official confirmed with us directly at Mickey Visit that the resort would be making ongoing adjustments to backstage facilities and cast member parking to prepare for future construction, and now those changes are happening.
The former cast member parking lot encompassed two huge areas. It’s all now closed and will be home to the new transportation hub. In the photo above, we’re in the same spot as the previous photo, but we’re directed more north. You can see the Matterhorn at top left and West Coast University at top right.
Note the lower black glass building which is set to be demolished. Disney filed a permit with the city of Anaheim on June 9, 2026, for the demolition of the 70,732-square-foot Team Disney Anaheim East administrative building. This permit will allow work to move forward immediately. This building currently sits between the two open parking lots. Once that is demolished there will be a huge set of space here for ongoing work.
The lot is fenced off, with a mesh covering blocking the viewpoint of pedestrians at ground level.
If you look closely in the above photo, you can see dirt and new fencing going up to surround the work! This was the most significant construction-related item we noticed.
There is no word on whether Disney will relocate these trees elsewhere within Disneyland property. They could also be set aside to be replanted as part of the new structure’s landscaping.
This is what the area looks like from the ground. In the short term, the fence will cover most of the activity, but eventually, a huge parking structure will rise above the fence line.
You’ll have to go around the long way to get to the theme parks from here, but in a few years, you’ll have a direct walking path from this point, through the transportation hub and across the new bridge.
To the unassuming eye, without any context, it all looks pretty normal and insignificant. The first steps toward most Disney theme park projects can be unglamorous, though, and these steps are necessary in Disney California Adventure ultimately welcoming its new Avatar land.
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