The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has approved the development of a consolidated rent-a-car facility (ConRAC) next to the newly developed Terminal 1 (T1) building at Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey.
The airport will now begin negotiations with a private developer to design and construct a new building that will consolidate all of the airport’s rent-a-car offerings into a single best-in-class facility, providing travelers with easy access to all rental car brands in one complex.
ConRAC costs would be offset through implementation of a customer facility charge of US$6 per day added to the price of rental cars.
The Port Authority’s contribution to the project, which would include a public parking garage, would be capped at US$130m. Should a deal not be reached between the developer and agency before December 2018, PANYNJ would plan to build its own standalone garage at a budgeted cost of US$170m.
Kevin O’Toole, chairman, PANYNJ, said, “The construction of a ConRAC at Newark Airport will maximize customer convenience and airport efficiencies. Consolidating rental-car agencies with a new parking garage is the perfect complement to the world-class new T1, which will serve travelers as a gateway to New Jersey and the region.”
Construction of the proposed integrated facility – which also allows for installation of a solar roof structure and electrical vehicle charging stations – could start in mid-summer 2019 and continue through the end of 2022, with the public parking elements completed by September 2021.
Newark Liberty’s new T1 will have the capacity to accommodate 13.6 million passengers annually while retaining flexibility for future growth.
The current Terminal A was designed to handle a maximum of nine million passengers per year, which has been significantly exceeded in recent years.