Main Terminal expansion transforming Tampa International Airport's Red Side

A look at the east side of the building now gives a peek at the future Red Express Curbsides and the connection to the new Airside D.

Tampa International Airport’s travelers are now able to get a good preview of the future as structures on the Main Terminal’s Red Side are rapidly progressing.

On the northwest side of the Main Terminal, construction on the Red Express Curbsides building is very visible, rising in place of the former 1970s-era Administration Building, which has been demolished.

All that remains of the old structure is an elevator core that will be removed as crews continue working in the space that once housed shops in the passageway to the Airport Marriott. Part of that work includes reconfiguring the space to accommodate escalator and stairway access to the floors being built below.

The Red Express Curbsides building will mirror the award-winning Blue Express Curbsides on the south side of the Main Terminal. Drilled-shaft foundations to support the new traffic lanes – four for Departures and four for Arrivals – are 90 percent complete, while the ramps for those lanes are currently being built.

Steel beams also have been put in place to eventually house the connection to the future Airside D, which is currently in the design phase. The new airside is slated to provide 16 domestic and international gates, new lounge space, room for cutting-edge screening and security systems, modern restaurant and retail space and more.

The Red Express Curbsides and Main Terminal expansion are expected to be finished in Summer 2025. Airside D is scheduled to open in early 2028.

All of the projects are part of the Airport’s 2022 Master Plan Update, the blueprint the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority is using to manage growth at TPA over the next two decades. Go here to learn more about the plan.

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