Orlando International Airport (MCO) is on track for continued growth and increased intermodality with the debut of its South Airport Automated People Mover System early this fall.
Like blind dates and family vacations, airport projects don't always go as originally planned. Case in point: the new rental car service center at Bismarck Municipal Airport (BIS) in North Dakota.
After 24 years and more than 2 million miles in service, the people mover trains connecting the landside and airside terminals at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) are virtually all new and rolling into the future. A four-phase, $11 million project modernized the trains with new underframes and updated interior elements (flooring, air conditioning, lighting, etc.).
Seattle has long been considered one of the greenest cities in the United States, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is making sure that the ground transportation options it offers passengers live up to that reputation.
From its very inception, Denver International (DEN) has been a noteworthy U.S. airport, but it recently joined the international big leagues with the addition of a rail connection and a striking on-airport hotel/transit center complex. Last year, DEN served about 54 million passengers and was ranked the sixth-busiest airport in the United States. The new 23-mile rail connection and associated $582 million hotel/transit center are expected to boost airport and convention business by making ground transportation and accommodations more convenient for passengers.
Passengers at Indianapolis International (IND) will soon have a new and greener option for getting to and from the airport: an all-electric car-sharing program. BlueIndy, which launched local service in September, is slated to open a 20-car station in the airport's parking garage later this month. The new facility will allow arriving passengers to pick up cars at the airport and drop them off at stations near their destinations. Departing passengers will be able to pick up vehicles at stations throughout the Indianapolis metro area and return them to the new station at IND.
In October, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) opened a $155.5 million consolidated rental agency complex (conrac) funded with customer facility charges. Beyond creating a new onsite facility for rental agencies, officials also carved out more space for customer parking at the Texas airport.
Getting to and from Oakland International Airport (OAK) is drastically easier for many passengers since the new connection opened in November between the airport and California's Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) train system. OAK's financial share of the project was $45 million ' just less than 10% of the total cost. 'It's important that we invest in transportation infrastructure that serves today as well as into the future,' explains Deborah Ale-Flint, Director of Aviation for the Port of Oakland.
