Tampa International Airport (TPA) said this week that crews are starting preparations to build a Red Express Curbsides facility designed to reduce congestion for both arriving and departing passengers while allowing those without checked baggage to bypass the ticketing and baggage claim levels.
Before work can begin on the Red Express Curbsides, crews must first begin the process of demolishing the airport’s 1970’s-era, original administration building underneath the Short Term Parking Garage, TPA officials added.
“This is a game changer,” said TPA Senior Manager of Construction Dan Seeley. “The efficiency of getting in and out of the airport is going to be so much more efficient.”
Crews must first put in temporary support beams to reinforce the garage before carefully removing the structure below and upgrading the remaining structural components. That part of the project is expected to take a full year before construction on the new expansion can begin.
“This is like doing heart surgery,” said Seeley. “There’s a building above you, there’s roadways on either side of you. There’s a Marriott Hotel. There’s an FAA Control Tower, there’s an active loading dock.”
Once demolition is complete, TPA passengers can expect roadway work and shifting traffic patterns beginning next spring as construction of new ramps for the Red Express Curbsides gets underway.
The final project will include a new shuttle station that will eventually connect to the planned Airside D, a future 16-gate international and domestic airside terminal scheduled for completion in late 2027.
