Tampa airport receives three proposals for new $790M terminal
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 25, 2023

Three companies have thrown their hats in the ring for the design-build contract in the latest expansion of the Tampa International Airport.

The prize will be the right to construct Airside D, a 16-gate terminal for domestic and international flights and the culmination of TPA's 2012 Master Plan. The airport estimated the project to cost about $790 million in its fiscal 2023 capital program.

The three companies vying for the airport's business are:

Austin Commercial LP

Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

The Weitz Company LLC

James Hanney, TPA's senior manager of procurement, declined to release further details. He cited Florida law on public records exemptions, including proposals received by an agency for a competitive solicitation.

The new terminal will mostly be funded by bonds, with the rest coming from state and federal dollars. It was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to be completed in 2027.

"This represents the final phase of our vision from 10 years ago," Airport CEO Joe Lopano said at a board meeting last year. "A lot has happened over the last 10 years. But we stuck with the plan all the way, including Covid, which pushed back a few years. But we stuck with the exact same plan — it's the right plan."

Austin Commercial is based in Dallas and built TPA's rental car building and the automated people mover system that connects it to the main terminal. Both were completed in 2018. It also has experience building or renovating buildings at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and more.

Colorado-based Hensel Phelps is one of the largest general contractors in the U.S., with a 2022 revenue of $5.5 billion, according to Forbes. Its previous projects at TPA include the Blue Express curbside lanes and site development for its SkyCenter office building. It is also a part of the GasWorx project in Ybor City.

Iowa-based The Weitz Co. is the oldest general contractor west of the Mississippi River, according to its website. It has completed 55 airside developments worldwide, including a new terminal at the Kansas City International Airport.

More information on Tampa's new airside can be found here. The design-build team is expected to be decided at a May board meeting.