Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) has unveiled Michigan’s first consolidated rental car facility (CONRAC), a $156 million project designed to modernize rental car operations, improve passenger convenience and support future growth.

The new facility, which opens to the public July 8, brings all rental car operations under one roof, creating a centralized customer service center connected to the terminal via a climate-controlled sky bridge. The project also includes an on-site quick-turn-around facility that allows rental car companies to perform vehicle fueling and cleaning operations in a single location.

Airport officials said the project is a key component of the airport’s Elevate program, a long-term capital improvement initiative representing more than $600 million in investments across the airport campus.

“As West Michigan grows, having the right infrastructure in place is critical,” said Ford International Airport Authority Board Chair Dan Koorndyk. “This facility represents a significant step forward in our mission to build new spaces that are efficient, long-lasting and environmentally responsible.”

The consolidated facility is expected to deliver significant operational and environmental benefits. Airport officials estimate the project will reduce vehicle travel by approximately 600,000 miles annually, remove more than 90% of rental car operational traffic from airport roadways and cut carbon emissions by roughly 500,000 pounds per year while increasing curbside capacity.

“We are proud to be the first airport in Michigan to have a consolidated rental car facility, showing our commitment to providing the best customer experience we can,” said President and CEO Tory Richardson. “This new facility will support our forecasted passenger demand over the next 20 years, while having an immediate positive impact on both our guests and rental car partners.”

The facility will house operations for seven rental car brands: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National. The project was constructed by Turner Construction Co., with Grand Rapids-based Fishbeck serving as design project manager and architect of record.

More than 2,700 workers contributed over 540,000 labor hours during construction, generating a significant economic impact for the region’s design and construction industries.

The project also expands the airport’s public art program with the installation of Jerry’s Map, a four-story display by Grand Rapids native Jerry Gretzinger featuring 2,441 hand-drawn panels depicting an evolving imaginary world he began creating in 1963.

The CONRAC is one of several major projects underway through the Elevate program. Other initiatives include a terminal expansion, a future federal inspection station to support international commercial service, relocation of the airport’s air traffic control tower, additional parking capacity and the recently completed Concourse A expansion, which added eight gates and expanded passenger amenities.

Airport officials emphasized that no local taxpayer dollars are being used to fund Elevate projects, which are financed through federal and state grants, airport-issued bonds and user fees.