The new rental garage at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is expected to save a half-million trips a year by car rental companies between the areas along the Spenard Road area and the airport terminals, said Carol Fraser, business development director for Venture Development Group.

Venture is overseeing the construction for the airport car rental garage, a $63 million project, that is set to open July 18. Referred to as a “quick turn-around” facility, rental companies for the first time will have onsite car wash bays and fuel pumps, eliminating the time, costs and traffic congestion to drive down the street to get the car prepared for the next customer.

When a rental is returned now, a jockey drives the car to Spenard to get the vehicle washed and vacuumed, and then gassed up, before driving it back to the airport ready to rent again. That takes about an hour.

The new facility allows cars to be washed and vacuumed inside, a quick jaunt around a bend leads to a fuel station. It will take about 10 minutes from drop-off until the car is ready for service again.

It's something the car rental companies have discussed for the Anchorage market since 1999. Mark Pfeffer, of Venture Development Group and KPB Architects, formerly known as Koonce Pfeffer Bettis, worked on the concept and design, and began talking with the rental car companies about the prospect.

Pfeffer had representatives in his office, ready to present the plan. It was Sept. 11, 2001. Shortly before the meeting started, two planes slammed into the World Trade Center in New York, another crashed into the Pentagon, and one crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

Just after the meeting started, Downtown Anchorage was evacuated as concerns grew over an unaccounted-for plane in the area. The project was shelved for two years.

On July 18, it will finally be opened to the public.

Car washing stations at the facility will allow a quicker turn-around time for rental cars once they are returned. PHOTO/Melissa Campbell/AJOC

Travelers will access the new facility through the underground tunnel that has been used exclusively for the railroad terminal. They'll enter the garage, get their keys at the counter, then go around a bend to pick up their cars, all without having to go outside.

Construction started in April 2006. Venture Development is the developer and will operate the facility. Neeser Construction is the general contractor and KPB Architects designed it. (Jerry Neeser, of Neeser Construction, and Mark Pfeffer also own Venture Development.)

The construction and management of the garage is paid for through a rental fee, currently at $4.12 per vehicle per day. Of that, $1.16 is used toward the facility's maintenance. Venture Development's Matthew Fairbanks serves as facility manager.

The garage sits on about 335,000 square feet, with four levels of parking for about 1,200 rental cars, as well as for rental company employees. There are four car wash bays on each floor. Outside are eight gas pumps with 16 stations. Each company has its own wash bay and fuel pumps.

The developer installed a system to reclaim 94 percent of the water, and uses environmentally friendly chemicals in the wash.

Another safety feature is the air handling system. When carbon monoxide levels reach a certain point, the system kicks in to recirculate the air in the entire area in only three seconds.