Austin-Sundt, a joint venture between Austin Commercial and Sundt Construction Inc. along with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, recently celebrated the official ribbon cutting for the $316 million San Diego International Airport consolidated Rental Car Center.
Austin-Sundt served as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) for the project, which enabled the airport to shift rental car operations to a centralized location on the north side of San Diego International Airport. The 2 million-square-foot structure currently houses 14 rental car companies but can accommodate as many as 19 brands. The facility also includes a customer service building, quick-turn-around car prep facility, ready/return vehicle area, and a vehicle storage area – collectively offering an overall capacity of approximately 5,000 vehicles.
“This has been an amazing opportunity to work with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority as it continues to improve one of America’s best airports,” said Sundt Vice President Jon Wald. “Within 12 months, our Austin-Sundt JV team placed nearly 100,000 cubic feet of concrete in a 24-acre site to create the largest rental car center on the West Coast. That’s enough concrete to build a 362-mile sidewalk from San Diego International Airport to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.”
Designed by Demattei-Wong Architecture, the new facility replaces the group of buildings on Harbor Drive that have for years housed most rental car companies serving the airport.
“When I look at the new Rental Car Center, I see a facility that does it all,” said San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board Chair Robert Gleason. “It improves the customer experience from start to finish; it helps us maximize use of our 661-acre footprint in a sustainable way; and it bolsters the airport’s role as a key economic driver.”
