A Sneak Peek at RDU’s Future Rental Car and Ground Transportation Facilities

Have you noticed traffic congestion when you’re picking up a passenger or getting dropped off to catch a flight? We at RDU recognize the inconvenience travelers experience waiting in traffic to get to the terminal, fighting through crowds to find your rideshare vehicle or having to take a bus to rent a car.

RDU will invest nearly $500 million dollars to build a Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC) and Ground Transportation Center to provide you a smoother, more convenient airport experience.

A 3-D animation of the future rental car facility was recently presented to the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board of Directors. This project is in the early design phase and is expected to take five to seven years to build. Its central location between Terminals 1 and 2 will yield many conveniences to future travelers.

The design contains a six-story garage and takes into account the anticipated growth of alternative vehicle usage such as electric cars.

The rental car facility will house all of the rental car companies and customers will access taxis, limos, rideshares and hotel shuttles in the new Ground Transportation Center, alleviating congestion on the curb for pick up and drop off.

The project also requires the reconfiguration of John Brantley Boulevard to make room for the new facilities and provide access to them through an underground tunnel and an elevated walkway. These two new access points eliminate the need for pedestrians to cross John Brantley Boulevard and provide walkable access to deck parking and the rental car facilities.

The final design process for the CONRAC program will adhere to both North Carolina building codes and Federal ADA guidelines. Planning for this project does take into account the width of the bridges, tunnels and general pedestrian walkways, which are intended to allow for mobile carts that can transport people between the facilities. Improving customer experience is central in the design.

The consolidated rental car facility and ground transportation center are part of RDU’s Vision 2040 master plan. Vision 2040 is the airport’s nearly $2 billion capital program that provides a flexible structure for the airport to grow responsibly and meet the region’s growing aviation needs.