TPA’s Main Terminal Expansion and Renovations Taking Shape

Red Express lanes are being built and the Airside D shuttle station is being enclosed as the transfer level grows, while upgrades are brightening up the baggage level.

The expansion at Tampa International Airport’s Main Terminal is gaining speed as construction of the Red Express Curbsides and other projects continues to advance.

While walls for the new Red Express building will be appearing soon, visitors to TPA can now see the Express Departures lanes appearing as a four-lane bridge on the Red Side. The Express Arrivals lanes will eventually run underneath the new bridge currently being built, with the completed Red Express Curbsides functioning the same as the award-winning Blue Express Curbsides on the opposite end of the Main Terminal.

The transfer level on the third floor of the Main Terminal continues to expand outward over the Red Express area. Holes have been cut into the third floor in what used to be retail and backroom space to make way for escalator banks that will connect the Red Express arrivals and departures levels.

Meanwhile, the shuttle platform for the future Airside D is being built out behind construction walls in the corridor leading to the Airport Marriott – the work is visible from the food court near Airside E. Eventually paneling and glass will enclose the expanded area, which will also include more retail and circulation space.

The Red Express Curbsides and Main Terminal expansion has progressed after the removal of the old, 1970s-era Administration Building, which was part of TPA’s original construction. Hillsborough County Aviation Authority leaders recently took a tour to survey recent developments, getting an up-close look at the new structures that are shaping up.

On the Main Terminal’s first floor, a portion of the Red Side Bag Claim has gotten a major refresh. The new lighting and ceiling tiles for Bag Claim belts 9, 10 and 11 have been installed, the first of six phases in the Bag Claim renovation.

While workers have moved on to other sections of the Bag Claim area during overnight work, this first phase shows how much brighter the Bag Claim area lighting will be after the project is finished in December. Installation of new LED signs for the bag belts is scheduled to begin in June and the carpet is due to be replaced in August.

New renderings were released for the expansion of Tampa International Airport. The airport is expanding with a new $787.4 million terminal.  Construction of Airside D is expected to start in 2024 and be completed in 2027.  The airside will be open to passengers in 2028. The new terminal will enable the Airport to serve an additional 13 million passengers by 2037. Airside D’s 16 gates will serve domestic and international flights, bringing TPA’s total gates to 72. The building will be about 563,000 square feet with vast concessions space, an outdoor terrace, state-of-the-art Customs and security facilities, as well as new screening, gate check-in and bag processing technologies.

Photo: Tampa International Airport

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