Above: Design rendering of the proposed CONRAC facility at Tampa Airport
Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA), the operator of Tampa International Airport in Florida, has approved a US$132m budget amendment for the second phase of its Master Plan, which will see the demolition of a parking garage and guideway later this year.
Phase 2 will be delivered at a total cost of US$543m and includes the construction of a 17-acre commercial development surrounding the newly built consolidated rent-a-car (CONRAC) facility. The commercial area will offer amenities such as a gas station, convenience store, hotels and office space. The curbside expansion will also include new express lanes exclusively for passengers without checked luggage.
The HCAA board will consider the remaining elements of the Phase 2 expansion later this year as part of the FY 2018 capital budget. With board approval, site preparation on the commercial development is slated to begin in mid-2018. Curbside construction is scheduled to begin in late 2019 with completion in 2023.
The revision has meant that the original plans to expand Tampa Airport’s Main Terminal will no longer take place. This will result in reduced costs, as the in-airport Marriott hotel and air traffic control tower will remain in place. A new Airside D concourse with 16 gates capable of handling both domestic and international flights remain part of Phase 3, which is scheduled to begin after 2020.
The projects are part of a three-phase plan that will enable Tampa International Airport to serve 34 million passengers annually, nearly double the current passenger volume.