Tampa, FL airport officials unveil details for $543M phase of $2.3B master plan

Dive Brief:

The Hillsborough County (FL) Aviation Authority announced details Tuesday of the next $543 million phase of Tampa International Airport's $2.3 billion construction master plan, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The work includes widening the main road to the airport, in addition to adding an extra exit lane and an airport express drop-off spot. Central to the expansion is the Gateway, a 17-acre commercial development that will feature a transit hub, two hotels, an eight-story office building, a gas station-convenience store and a 20,000-square-foot retail strip center that could include restaurants or a pet hotel.
HCAA officials said they plan to finance construction through a 2018 bond issue and an increase in the per-passenger user fee it charges airlines. Construction on the phase is scheduled to begin in 2019, with completion slated for 2023.

Dive Insight:

The massive, three-phase project is the airport's first major renovation since it was built in 1971. Still underway is the airport's $971 million first phase, which includes restaurants, retail, a new people mover system and a 2.6-million-square-foot rental car center. Construction on the third phase is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2023 and will feature a new 16-gate terminal that can handle both international and domestic flights. That phase will cost approximately $798 million.

Like the Tampa project, many of the nation's airports are decades-old and undergoing huge facelifts to modernize and keep pace with an increase in air travel. Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, VA, is getting ready for a $1 billion transformation that includes a $245 million security checkpoint area and a $408 million concourse.

A similar initiative is underway at San Francisco's airport, which is planning an eight-year, $2.4 billion terminal replacement. Salt Lake City's airport overhaul and addition, which is already underway, will cost an estimated $2.6 billion, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is adding a third runway for $649 million and Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is in the first phase of a 20-year, $6 billion renovation and expansion.

These plans, however, represent only a fraction of what modernizing and upgrading the nation's airports would cost. A recent Airports Council International—North America report indicated that it would take about $100 billion to make the necessary improvements to all U.S. airports.