Gerald R. Ford International Airport Opens $156M Consolidated Rental Car Facility

Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) has completed construction on Michigan's first consolidated rental car facility. Airport officials gathered in Grand Rapids on June 24, 2026, to cut the ribbon on the $156 million complex. The facility is scheduled to open to the public on July 8, 2026.

Known as a CONRAC, the five-story structure is a centerpiece of the airport’s broader Elevate capital expansion program. This program represents an investment of more than $600 million to upgrade terminal capacities and ground handling. Centralizing these operations under one roof solves a major bottleneck for the fast-growing West Michigan hub.

Previously, rental companies occupied the entire first floor of the terminal's parking garage. Moving seven rental brands into the new complex frees up more than 1,000 covered parking stalls for daily public use. Arriving passengers will access the new customer service lobby through a climate-controlled skybridge directly from the main terminal.

The facility includes a five-story ready/return parking garage with roughly 1,300 spaces. It also features an adjacent three-story quick-turnaround building equipped with 16 fuel pumps and 8 automated car washes. This layout enables rental agencies to vacuum, wash, and refuel vehicles on-site, rather than driving them to off-property lots.

This self-contained cycle removes more than 90% of rental car activities from the airport's main terminal roadway loop. According to airport planners, the shift will reduce rental driving by 3 miles per vehicle. This represents a total reduction of 600,000 vehicle miles traveled and 500,000 pounds of carbon emissions annually.

Airport Authority Board Chair Dan Koorndyk spoke to the regional significance of the project. “As West Michigan grows, having the right infrastructure in place is critical,” Koorndyk said, adding that the building represents “a significant step forward in our mission to build new spaces that are efficient, long-lasting and environmentally responsible.”

Turner Construction acted as the general contractor for the complex. The construction team overcame early engineering challenges, including poor soil conditions on the airport's east side that required structural redesigns. Dave Snyder, Project Executive for Turner Construction, praised the high concentration of regional contractors.

Snyder noted that 85% of the companies involved were based in West Michigan. He remarked, “Being a specialty construction project as this is, we find that pretty impressive that we have that capability here locally to do a project of this magnitude and this complexity.”

When the facility opens on July 8, travelers will be guided by new terminal-wide wayfinding signage. The next phase of the Elevate program includes a $135 million Terminal Enhancement Project to overhaul checked baggage handling and ticketing counters.