Grand Rapids Airport (GRR) News and Developments

[getemngo]

3 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Now all we need is some sort of light rail or reliable direct transit between the airport and DT.

I really hate that people flying in are met with having to find a way from a very isolated airport without private vehicles.

The Rapid had a shuttle called the Air Porter about 10 years ago that went between the airport and several downtown hotels. It charged $15 one way or $25 round trip, the idea presumably being that it's cheaper than a taxi. According to this Grand Rapids Business Journal article, it needed just 1.7 rides per hour to pay for itself but never hit that number except during conventions. In 2007 it became seasonal, and in fall 2008 it shut down for good. The last ridership numbers I've seen (April 2008) showed about 7 rides per day.

Today the only Rapid route serving the airport is route 17, which runs from Woodland to the airport via 29th, East Paris, and 44th.

[GRDadof3]

11 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Now all we need is some sort of light rail or reliable direct transit between the airport and DT.

I really hate that people flying in are met with having to find a way from a very isolated airport without private vehicles.

For 10 miles of light rail from the airport to downtown, you're talking at least $500 Million (Half a billion dollars). If I gave you a blank check today for that much money, would you really spend it on a light rail line from the airport to downtown? It wouldn't even be enjoyed by that many locals, just occasional visitors to quilting conventions at Devos. Imagine what amazing things you could do with $Half a Billion dollars? 

[GR_Urbanist]

16 minutes ago, GRDadof3 said:

For 10 miles of light rail from the airport to downtown, you're talking at least $500 Million (Half a billion dollars). If I gave you a blank check today for that much money, would you really spend it on a light rail line from the airport to downtown? It wouldn't even be enjoyed by that many locals, just occasional visitors to quilting conventions at Devos. Imagine what amazing things you could do with $Half a Billion dollars? 

That's something I've thought about a bit last night. The airport finally is starting to look nice enough to show off, but it is still a very tiny place, and I have to remember that even after seeing the airports in Seattle, Chicago, and Denver, which are sprawling and massive indoor cities, and really need the transportation networks they have that connect them to the central city, that it would be decades, if ever, before ours even remotely gets to that.

Oh, well. I suppose Uber will have to do.

 

[GRDadof3]

22 minutes ago, GR_Urbanist said:

That's something I've thought about a bit last night. The airport finally is starting to look nice enough to show off, but it is still a very tiny place, and I have to remember that even after seeing the airports in Seattle, Chicago, and Denver, which are sprawling and massive indoor cities, and really need the transportation networks they have that connect them to the central city, that it would be decades, if ever, before ours even remotely gets to that.

Oh, well. I suppose Uber will have to do.

 

Even large cities like Minneapolis and Charlotte have not expanded beyond their one light rail lines, and they're going on 10 years in service. The cost for infrastructure projects like that have skyrocketed, and although they're cool, you have to wonder if it's the "moral" thing to build when neighborhoods in Grand Rapids and some of the suburbs are in severe need of investments and job growth. 

OK I'll get off my coffee-infused soapbox.

[arcturus]

9 hours ago, getemngo said:

The last ridership numbers I've seen (April 2008) showed about 7 rides per day.

Thanks for the reminder.  I took it once, just me on board.

[Pattmost20]

I last ubered to the airport for about $15. As long as it is under $20, I have a hard time seeing a direct bus route being successful, even though I'd like to see it happen.

[Prankster]

2 hours ago, GRDadof3 said:

For 10 miles of light rail from the airport to downtown, you're talking at least $500 Million (Half a billion dollars). If I gave you a blank check today for that much money, would you really spend it on a light rail line from the airport to downtown? It wouldn't even be enjoyed by that many locals, just occasional visitors to quilting conventions at Devos. Imagine what amazing things you could do with $Half a Billion dollars? 

 

To build on this point, the majority of people attending conventions at DeVos are from Michigan, who drive instead of fly to get here. The reason for this is that most of the events held at the convention center are statewide conventions or consumer shows. Very few of the events draw people in that would need to fly here. 

[GR8scott]

19 hours ago, GR_Urbanist said:

Now all we need is some sort of light rail or reliable direct transit between the airport and DT.

I really hate that people flying in are met with having to find a way from a very isolated airport without private vehicles.

I think building direct expressway access should be a natural priority. The exit is already there, all they need is a tunnel under the general aviation runway and it would shave off five minutes and thousands of cars on 28 street. There are no other airports that close to an expressway that don't have direct access. From the air it looks incomplete. The project would be easy to shift plane traffic to the two main runways and probably be covered with federal money. Hollands airport has a tunnel as do many others.

Edited August 17, 2017 by GR8scott

[GRDadof3]

7 hours ago, GR8scott said:

I think building direct expressway access should be a natural priority. The exit is already there, all they need is a tunnel under the general aviation runway and it would shave off five minutes and thousands of cars on 28 street. There are no other airports that close to an expressway that don't have direct access. From the air it looks incomplete. The project would be easy to shift plane traffic to the two main runways and probably be covered with federal money. Hollands airport has a tunnel as do many others.

I have to assume it's in their long-term plans. They wouldn't have placed that exit/on ramp there without thinking a lot about that option. 

I did notice that the airport is leasing a bunch of perimeter land, saw the signs out there recently. 

[Raildude's dad]

The 36th Street entrance / exit was located where it provided the best access back to Patterson to 44th & Patterson. The ability to extend it to the airport was verified by the Road Commission who managed the design and construction of the 36th St extension. It can be physically built but I don't believe it's on short or medium term plan.

Information tidbit - the 36th Street extension was constructed the same time as the west end of M-6. Constructed by the same contractor - Ajax, using the same MDOT pavement design and specifications. It gets the same ice control and snowplowing as M-6 by the same government agency. I don't believe it has one defect.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Raildude's dad

[thebeerqueer]

14 hours ago, Raildude's dad said:

Information tidbit - the 36th Street extension was constructed the same time as the west end of M-6. Constructed by the same contractor - Ajax, using the same MDOT pavement design and specifications. It gets the same ice control and snowplowing as M-6 by the same government agency. I don't believe it has one defect.

Fascinating! I would wager that the 36th street extension see no where the amount of cars that the west portion of M-6 does. 

[Raildude's dad]

The ADT on M-6 near the west end is about 42,000. The 36th St extension is handling about 16,000 vehicles a day. This was a quote on Mlive:

Quote

 

At the time M-6 was built, the concrete wasn’t tested after it was trucked to the site — so workers wouldn’t have known if there was a problem with the air after it was transported. The concrete was only tested at the batch plant at the time.

 

I can assure you the concrete on 36th Street was tested after it was on the ground at the paving train. That was the procedure when I first entered the road building business in 1972.  Draw your own conclusion.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Raildude's dad

[Twin Citian]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 8:08 AM, GRDadof3 said:

Even large cities like Minneapolis and Charlotte have not expanded beyond their one light rail lines, and they're going on 10 years in service. The cost for infrastructure projects like that have skyrocketed, and although they're cool, you have to wonder if it's the "moral" thing to build when neighborhoods in Grand Rapids and some of the suburbs are in severe need of investments and job growth. 

OK I'll get off my coffee-infused soapbox.

Huh?  Minneapolis has two light-rail lines; the blue and green lines and the NorthStar commuter line. 

[Quercus]

Naturally any rail line to the airport from downtown would be built to capture more than just airport traffic. One of The Rapid's busiest routes--the #6--travels in a southeasterly direction towards GRR. But, yes, it would be an expensive project and people seem to manage just fine at the moment. I think for mid-range planning purposes it is wise to consider potential corridors and maybe make strategic land acquisitions if/when they become available.

[dadr]

On 8/24/2017 at 0:39 PM, Twin Citian said:

Huh?  Minneapolis has two light-rail lines; the blue and green lines and the NorthStar commuter line. 

And those lines connect other major density centers such as Mall of America and both downtowns - Mpls and St. Paul. There is no equivalent to that in GR which is a much smaller metro.

Perhaps a better freeway access from the airport for bus rapid transit to downtown, shuttles, taxis etc.?

[sfloria]

42 minutes ago, dadr said:

And those lines connect other major density centers such as Mall of America and both downtowns - Mpls and St. Paul. There is no equivalent to that in GR which is a much smaller metro.

Perhaps a better freeway access from the airport for bus rapid transit to downtown, shuttles, taxis etc.?

I think it would be great if we had lines connecting some of the Lake Towns to GR.   Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, Saugatuck.  

[GRLaker]

1 hour ago, sfloria said:

I think it would be great if we had lines connecting some of the Lake Towns to GR.   Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, Saugatuck.  

I like it. That would be a move that would really stretch Grand Rapids metro to the lakeshore. 

[wingbert]

2 hours ago, sfloria said:

I think it would be great if we had lines connecting some of the Lake Towns to GR.   Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, Saugatuck.  

Kind of like if they brought back the old interurban lines?

 

[Hoeks]

Couple of pictures of the new Brewhouse restaurant at GRR.   Looks good, and close to (if not already) open.

[discgrab21]

Wow, that looks great!  I flew over Labor Day weekend and that area was still boarded up.

[thebeerqueer]

Looks like a scaled down Founders taproom. Obviously I'm a fan. 

[walker]

As nice as this looks, since this is inside the security area, you’d wonder how much business they will get.  GRR isn’t a hub airport where a lot of people are killing time in the concourse area waiting for a connecting flight.  So you are left with mostly people waiting for their initial flight of the day.  I’m not really a fan of airplane lavatories, so I know I’m not going to have a couple of beers before I get on the plane.    

I've been through the new concourse a couple of times the past month.  Looks good.

EDIT: Forget everything I wrote.  Went by the new Founder’s in the concourse area today about 5 PM and they were busy.  Do not hire me as your airport restaurant marketing consultant.  

Edited September 22, 2017 by walker

[arcturus]

Another record year - http://www.grbj.com/articles/89832-ford-airport-books-best-ever-year

[mgreven]

So you have to be flying to go to the new place?  Can't hang out there waiting for someone to fly in or leave?  Is Bell's still there too?

I don't get to the airport that much but I'm curious.

[GRDadof3]

3 hours ago, mgreven said:

So you have to be flying to go to the new place?  Can't hang out there waiting for someone to fly in or leave?  Is Bell's still there too?

I don't get to the airport that much but I'm curious.

I think as long as you're willing to go through security, you can go into the new atrium area where the brewpub is. I think Bell's bailed? It's a Founders mini pub now. 

I've been through a lot of airports recently and I was blown away by CLT (Charlotte NC's) airport. Their metro is only twice GR's but their airport is at least 10x bigger. They are an American Airlines hub so that plays a big part in that. 

https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/national_transportation_statistics/html/table_01_44.html