b'PASSENGER TRANSPORTBDL33PHOTO: PETER BROWN ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHYcustomer experience and relieved curbsideThey estimate the new facility will eliminateThe majority of contractors hired were congestion by eliminating associated shuttlemore than 250,000 shuttle trips per year local to the New England area. Although operations.and are confident that customers wontthere was no mandatory minority business The $210 million project was financedmiss the shuttle rides.participation requirement, about 28% of entirely through customer facility chargethe contract was comprised of companies revenue. The new facility is located westPartners Involved hired by Austin and KBE that were small, of the main terminal on what previouslyThe rental car companies operating atminority- and women-owned businesses. had been a surface lot for public parking.BDL partnered with Conrac Solutions The project included a new surface publicfor a development contract, whichUpdated Design parking lot to replace much-needed publicincluded project development, design andThe new facility includes nearly 2,800 rental parking at BDL. construction. WSP was selected as thecar spaces, nine car washes, 36 fueling program manager for the Airport Authoritypositions and more than 50 electric vehicle A covered open-truss pedestrian bridgeand assisted from planning and designcharging stations. Floors two through four that crosses over the roadway used bythrough construction completion. Conrachouse individual rental car facilities, with one vehicles dropping off and picking upSolutions secured contracts with Austinbrand family per floor. The fifth floor (roof passengers connects to a conditionedCommercial as the design-build partner andlevel) is shared rental car storage. pedestrian walkway, which connects thePGAL as the architect. new ground transportation center to theMike Minerva, chief terminal. Project executives note thatKBE Building Corp., the primeexecutive officer of building a consolidated car rental centersubcontractor to Austin, served as theConrac Solutions, within walkable distance from the terminallocal construction partner and providedexplains that this improves the passenger experience byconnections to area trade contractors.distributed customer removing shuttle bus traffic from theMore than 800 crewmembers worked onservice model focuses primary airport roads/curbside areas andthe construction project from August 2019on efficiency and reducing associated vehicle emissions.into June 2022.customer experience,MIKE MINERVAAirportImprovement.comNovember | December 2022'