55 AirportImprovement.com September 2026 PASSENGER TRANSPORT GRR fueling and other turnaround service, then drive them 1½ miles back to the airport. Now those facilities are onsite in the new CONRAC, thus eliminating an estimated 600,000 miles of vehicle traffic on airport roads annually. In turn, the reduced driving is projected to lower associated carbon emissions by about 500,000 tons annually and save rental car operators about $84,000 per year in fuel costs, Ries says. Plus, the airport gains back roadway and curbside capacity. “It would get a little chaotic at times,” Ries says of traffic before the CONRAC was built. “But we now can provide a seamless experience for our guests.” Years of Prep Airport officials started planning for the CONRAC in 2019 with assistance from InterVISTAS, an aviation services consultant. “They helped us evaluate our long- term parking needs and identified a CONRAC as the most viable solution,” Ries explains. “That initiated dialogue with our car rental partners. None of this could’ve happened without cooperation and coordination with Enterprise, Hertz and Avis (which own the seven rental car brands available at the airport).” Fishbeck, the architectural and engineering company that designed the facility, also managed the project. Adam Meeker, a senior architect and vice president at the firm, says the biggest challenge in designing the 750,000-square-foot facility involved the elevated indoor fueling operations, which are typically prohibited by building codes. That issue was resolved by adding several levels of safety features. The primary components are a ventilation system that prevents the accumulation of fumes from fueling and vehicle exhaust, enhanced fuel system protections, a special fire sprinkler system and broader-than-usual fire alarm coverage. Another challenge emerged when crews digging footings for the new structure discovered unsuitable soils from an old and undetected stream bed. “Somebody compared it to Play-Doh— soft and squishy, with no capacity to hold up a structure,” Meeker relates. That initially caused an eight-week delay in construction, which was later mitigated with creative re-sequencing of construction activities, Ries says. To resolve the problem, Fishbeck engineers changed about 40% of the facility’s foundation structure from standard concrete spread footings to four 40-foot-deep concrete pilings per support column. Concrete Solutions Turner Construction Co., general contractor for the project, used post- tensioned construction to build most of the facility. A common choice for parking garages, the technique relies on high- strength, woven-steel cables that are laid inside concrete forms in specific patterns and tied to metal stands that keep them suspended. Workers then fill the forms with concrete, encasing the plastic- covered cables, which are only anchored at one end. After the concrete is sufficiently cured, workers use tensioning machines—hydraulic jacks—to pull the cables tighter until they reach the precise load-bearing level specified by project engineers. Squeezing and compressing the concrete allows for thinner, crack- resistant structures with much longer spans between support columns. Turner used this method to build the second and third floors and the roof of the quick-turnaround facility; all the floors of the vehicle return facility; and all of the concrete beams in both facilities. “The cables provide the strength you need,” explains Dave Snyder, a project executive at Turner Construction Co. “And the technique allows you to use less concrete and less rebar, which saves money.” Using standard poured concrete for the quick- DAVE SNYDER FACTS&FIGURES Project: Consolidated Rental Car Facility Location: Gerald R. Ford Int’l Airport, in Grand Rapids, MI Key Benefits: Less airport vehicle traffic & associated reduction of emissions; regaining 700 long-term parking spaces previously used for rental cars; easier, safer & more comfortable access for rental car customers; increased curbside capacity; faster turnaround of rental cars Cost: $156 million Funding: Municipal bonds being repaid with customer facility charges on car rental transactions Size: 750,000 sq. ft. Footprint: 4½ acres Planning Consultant: InterVISTAS Engineering/Architecture & Project Management: Fishbeck General Contractor: Turner Construction Co. Facility Operator: MVI Field Services Construction: May 2023-June 2026 Primary Components: 4-story customer service building; five-story ready-return garage; three-story quick-turnaround; 400-ft. climate-controlled skybridge between customer service building & terminal Quick-Turnaround Facility: 32 fueling islands, each with 2 fuel pumps, a vacuum system, an air compressor system for filling tires, & windshield-cleaning fluid; 8 car wash bays with water reclamation system; one dozen 2,000-gal. storage tanks for reclaimed water from car washes; 4 large air compressors; 6 vacuum pumps; 4 above-ground 15,000-gal. exterior tanks for fuel Equipment Vendors: Ingersoll Rand; Autovac Inc. CONGRATULATIONS to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority on the opening of its new CONRAC facility. WWW.INTERVISTAS.COM InterVISTAS brings your vision to life through strategy and planning. Scan to learn more. ADAM MEEKER
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