Consolidated Rental Car Facility

[HangryHippo]

I'm saying that if a route ended downtown right now, a business traveler could conduct work downtown only. Transit outside is woefully inadequate.

I agree. But because that's the case right now, do you think we shouldn't bother getting the line up and running? Could having the line serve as an impetus to improve local transit in those cities?

[kevinpate]

I'm saying that if a route ended downtown right now, a business traveler could conduct work downtown only. Transit outside is woefully inadequate.

Depends where one needs to be. Last week I rode in from Norman, popped off DT just north of Dean McGee and Robinson. I strolled maybe 100 feet, give or take, to Kitchen 324 and enjoyed great service and an excellent breakfast. Could have just as easily had a brief meeting with someone there if a need had existed. I then strolled over to the DT hub, hopped a bus to just north of Crown Plaza on N May and attended to the task that brought me to town. That route would have taken further N and a bit west if my need existed, or I could have transferred to another route along the way.

Afterwards, I caught the same route south back to the DT hub and strolled over to the market in the Regency for a snack. Ended up having a right fair cooked to order CB and fries (yum by the by.) I could have as easily hopped another bus to a different part of town. Anyway, after the burger, I was then back across the street and bus back to Norman.

Now if I hadn't forgotten to fully charge my phone the night before and/or brought along a spare battery, it would of been a somewhat more productive day thanks to fair wifi service on the buses, but that's on me.

Transit is not perfect by any means, in Norman or OKC, but for M-F business hours, it doesn't totally suck.

That said, it would be nice if there were options other than private carriers for coming into the city for ane vening or on the weekend.

[bombermwc]

i don't believe this to be true ..

Which part? I've worked on South Meridian, right in the middle of all of the rental places for almost 10 years, so I've seen the various versions of the rental philosophy around here. Our office has always been surrounded by the various vendors. You're welcome to come look, but they didn't even have as much as a covered area for the shuttle pickups (enterprise, hertz, dollar/thrify/avis/etc). You went inside the buildings and picked up your car in the uncovered lots. The old Parking Spot lot had more covered parking than the rental facilities.

Is it nicer when there is, of course. But what i'm saying is, it's not like we (meaning our visitors) are used to some amazing comfort level. Personally, i'd keep it AT the airport garage right where it's at. When I travel, that's where i prefer they be...I HATE shuttles.

[BoulderSooner]

pretty sure there have been rental cars (at least pick up) in the airport for over 10 years

[brianinok]

I am all for this facility as I assume it will free up space in the garage for long term parking. I am sick and tired of the parking garage being full and having to park in the sub rate "covered" shuttle lot, or worse, the uncovered. It's ridiculous that the airport management so vastly missed the size of garage they needed when they recently expanded it.

[Plutonic Panda]

I am all for this facility as I assume it will free up space in the garage for long term parking. I am sick and tired of the parking garage being full and having to park in the sub rate "covered" shuttle lot, or worse, the uncovered. It's ridiculous that the airport management so vastly missed the size of garage they needed when they recently expanded it.

They need to take those surface parking lots and fill them with a 5-10 story parking garage, capisce?

[bombermwc]

pretty sure there have been rental cars (at least pick up) in the airport for over 10 years

All I can say is that at my office, right smack dab in the middle of all of the facilities, we had all of the rental offices. All of them with shuttles running back and forth all day long. One reason I was very glad to see them move TO the airport was that then their crazy shuttle drivers weren't up and down meridian all day. I should note that Hertz/Advantage has moved into the "old enterprise".

[ljbab728]

The contract has been awarded for this facility.
Oklahoma City Airport Trust awards a contract to build the new rental car facility at Will Rogers World Airport | News OK

[UnFrSaKn]

Isn't "Dollar Thrifty Budget" on your map still Alamo/National/Enterprise? I worked at Enterprise at the "new" lot for about three years and have worked at Avis/Budget for over four years now. You didn't label the lot west of "new" Enterprise. It's our "north" lot at Avis/Budget.

EDIT: it looks like the old Alamo/National/Enterprise lot isn't a rental car lot anymore by looking at Google Maps. I haven't been up that way in quite a while since I work at the actual airport for a long time now.

[Pete]

Application for building permits for this project a few days ago and others have said some work has already begun.


Have I mentioned how much I hate this??

[Bellaboo]

Application for building permits for this project a few days ago and others have said some work has already begun.


Have I mentioned how much I hate this??

Yep....

[Zuplar]

Reminds me of Denver's setup. That one's not bad and is a heck of a lot further away than this one is going to be. Will be nice that they are all consolidated instead part at the airport and part all the way down on Meridian.

[Bill Robertson]

Application for building permits for this project a few days ago and others have said some work has already begun.


Have I mentioned how much I hate this??

The new facility is right across Meridian from one of our buildings. There has been a lot of clearing and dirt work starting about two weeks ago.

[mobstam]

I think this is a horrible idea. It would have made so much more sense to build a new garage and put the rental cars there. That would have resulted in a net gain of general parking spaces (probably), would have also maintained the proximity/convenience of the rental cars to the terminal, and and eliminated the need for rental car shuttles.

I wonder if there will be a way to incorprate a light rail from the terminal to the rental car facility, possibly as part of an airport-to-downtown link?

[catch22]

Commuter rail probably, utilizing the rail line that goes up Newcastle Rd through Stockyards City to downtown.

[shawnw]

Long ways off though (regarding downtown/airport rail link).

We're probably stuck with shuttle buses between the rental car center and the terminal forever. I don't see the money ever being ponied up for a rail connection there...

[Plutonic Panda]

Commuter rail probably, utilizing the rail line that goes up Newcastle Rd through Stockyards City to downtown.

Commuter rail would be stupid for this. Honestly, we should have light-rail to the airport to downtown(convention center) and to the rental car facility. I can understand doing commuter from Edmond-OKC-Norman for the time being, but no money needs to be spent on commuter for the airport. Airport needs light-rail only.

[shawnw]

If we had heavily utilized bus routes to the airport (e.g. high ridership already) I would agree with you. But we only have it going there 3 times a day (and thus ridership is low) and even those are being cut. I say start with commuter rail and if demand picks up you'll have support for the cost of light rail going forward.

Also, as someone who works at the FAA and lives downtown, they could extend that commuter rail line another stop after the airport to FAA/MMAC (a major employer with 5-7K employees; yes there are "last mile" issues but the FAA already runs shuttles between facilities in the morning and evening), and possibly eventually keep it going out to Mustang if demand grows (obviously that would help the people who live in Mustang and work downtown). Shoot, maybe Hobby Lobby as a major employer along that line would want to get in on that action eventually...

[HOT ROD]

Commuter Rail (bus for the time being) from downtown to Mustang just seems like a no brainer to me. Along the way you have Capital Hill, Stockyard's City, Meridian (hotels, rental cars, restaurants/entertainment, office), Int'l Airport, FAA, HL and industrial SW OKC, then Mustang. Couldn't there be 10,000 riders total on that route alone?

[Plutonic Panda]

Couple pictures I took just awhile ago.

[Dubya61]

Wonder what all that pipe is for? Wasn't there something on OKC Talk earlier about connecting Draper and Hefner in some fashion? As I drive past the airport to/fm work, I saw a lot of pipe going in on the north side of 54th.

[Plutonic Panda]

It is a big lot, so maybe for storm water drainage. I know what you mean though, they have all that lined up along I-44 so maybe it does have something to do with it.

[catch22]

They've been laying pipe for quite a while around the airport.

Giggity. Just wanted to say that.

[Bellaboo]

They've been laying pipe all over town, for years.......had too.

[bradh]

all that concrete pipe is for storm drainage out there. the green PVC pipe is for sanitary sewer, the blue PVC is for water.

the pipe connecting draper to hefner has been a mix of ductile iron (black) and steel (typically white).