Los Angeles International Airport has broken ground on its new consolidated rental car facility.
Once completed in 2023, the US$2bn transit hub will be the largest of its kind in the world, with a vehicle leaving every two seconds at peak operations. It will centralize rental car operations into one location and offer a direct connection to the Automated People Mover (APM) train, also due to be operational in 2023.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti broke ground on the new facility, saying, “Our city is doing so much more than building a parking structure – we are making an investment that will improve the traveling experience, reduce congestion in surrounding neighborhoods, and create middle-class careers for years to come.”
The 5,300,000ft2 (492,380m2) ConRAC facility will feature 18,000 parking stalls with 6,600 ready/return spaces, 10,000 idle vehicle storage spaces, and 1,100 rental car employee spaces, as well as visitor parking. The facility will also have a quick-turnaround facility, for fueling, washing and light maintenance of rental vehicles.
Reducing congestion at LAX – as well as in surrounding communities – is at the heart of the ConRAC project. The consolidated facility will completely remove rental car shuttle traffic from the Central Terminal Area (CTA), which equates to 3,200 shuttle trips per day. The removal of the shuttles will improve traffic on the roadways and free up critical curbside boarding space in the CTA.
As the second-largest rental car market in US airports, the ConRAC will improve and streamline the car rental process at LAX. The facility will be built with an eye to the future and designed to accommodate new and emerging vehicle types such as autonomous vehicles. Additionally, movable concrete barriers will enable the quick reallocation of space as rental car companies’ market shares shift.
The ConRAC is an important component of the Landside Access Modernization Program, which also includes an Automated People Mover train that will connect travelers directly to airport terminals and create new and convenient locations for passenger pickup and drop-off outside the Central Terminal Area. Once completed, the APM will connect with LA Metro’s light rail system.