The Daily Dig
The Messer Sundt Joint Venture has officially broken ground on the consolidated rental car and parking expansion at Nashville International Airport. The $900 million program is a core piece of New Horizon, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority's $3 billion capital plan for BNA.
The team is building a six-level facility with a 3,000-space parking garage, a 4,700-vehicle consolidated rental car facility, and a Customer Service Building. Quick turnaround areas with fueling and car wash capabilities are also part of the build.
New bridges and roadways will connect Terminal Drive to the facility, and an expanded loop road will increase traffic capacity and improve access to the surrounding road network.
Delivery is progressive design-build, with phased completion targeted for 2029. Messer Construction and Sundt Construction are sharing leadership across the JV.
BNA ranks among the fastest-growing airports in the country, and New Horizon is its second major expansion since 2017. The program carries a $4.5 billion total development scope through 2029.
Project Snapshot:
Program: CONRAC (Consolidated Rental Car and Parking Complex)
Parent Plan: New Horizon - BNA Capital Expansion
Owner/Authority: Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA)
JV Contractor: Messer Sundt Joint Venture (Messer Construction Co. + Sundt Construction)
Delivery Method: Progressive Design-Build
Location: Nashville International Airport (BNA), Nashville, TN
Sector: Aviation / Transportation Infrastructure
Program Value: $900 million
Total New Horizon Program Value: $3 billion
Scope: 6-level facility; 3,000-space parking garage; 4,700-vehicle rental car facility; Customer Service Building; quick turnaround areas with fueling and car wash; new bridges and roadways; expanded Terminal Drive loop road; on-airport shuttle infrastructure
Status: Under Construction
Projected Completion: 2029
Phased Delivery: Yes
Program Start (New Horizon): 2017
New Horizon Budget Through Completion: $4.5 billion
Funding Sources: Bonds, federal and state aviation grants, passenger facility charges ($4.50/flight segment), airport funds
TheJobWalk Thoughts
At $900 million with phased delivery running through 2029, the sub and supplier pipeline on this program will be active for years. Progressive design-build means procurement packages won't all hit at once. Trade contractors who get in front of Messer and Sundt before scopes are locked will have a real advantage over those waiting on formal bid invitations.
The work here spans heavy civil, structural concrete, MEP, fueling systems, and car wash infrastructure. That mix creates meaningful opportunities across multiple trades, and firms that can self-perform across more than one scope are worth more to the JV than a single-trade bidder.
Airport construction has its own rules. Active airfield environments come with strict access controls, coordination requirements, and zero tolerance for schedule slippage that affects operations. If your firm doesn't have that experience on the resume yet, the time to build those relationships with Messer and Sundt is now, well before bid packages are released.
Courtesy of Sundt Construction
Courtesy of Sundt Construction
