TPA holds first of three Airside D public listening sessions
Dozens of people come out to learn more about the project and share their thoughts on the ideal traveler experience for the $1.5 billion project, TPA's first new Airside in nearly 20 years.
Tampa International Airport welcomed members of the community on Wednesday evening for the first of three public listening sessions to ask people what they’d like to see as part of the traveling experience at Airside D.
About 50 people attended the meeting in the Airport’s Main Terminal, which included a presentation about the current progress on the $1.5 billion Airside D project and an interactive program conducted by community partners Collaborative Labs at St. Petersburg College.
TPA’s Chief Development Officer Smitha Radhakrishnan opened the evening by telling the audience the Airport was holding the meetings because public input was important to the success of the project, TPA’s first new Airside in nearly 20 years.
“Our aim tonight is to have an open and wide-ranging discussion with all of you, to hear what you have to say about the best way to provide that signature TPA experience to future travelers,” Radhakrishnan said.
Collaborative Labs then directed the audience through a technology-driven set of questions designed to gather responses about features attendees thought would be ideal for Airside D.
Using small-group discussions, participants generated dozens of suggestions with members of the Airside D Steering Committee, a group of Airport employees from across departments who have been using their expertise to make decisions about how the project will proceed.
The visitors presented their ideas to the entire team at the end of the exercise, and then were free to continue discussions with staff members after the program ended.
The Airport is collecting all these comments and ideas for Airside D, which is currently at the 60 percent design stage. While not all the proposals can be implemented, the feedback will help inform the design process, which is scheduled to be finalized this December.
Wednesday’s meeting served as a gathering for travelers from Hillsborough County. There are two more public listening sessions in Tampa Bay-area counties:
- PINELLAS COUNTY, Thursday, July 24, 6-7:30 p.m. – EpiCenter at St. Petersburg College, 13805 58th St. N., Clearwater
- PASCO COUNTY, Tuesday, July 29, 6-7:30 p.m. – Hyatt Place Wesley Chapel, 26000 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz
These sessions are free to the public and do not require an RSVP.
Airside D will be a state-of-the-art, 16-gate Airside terminal for international and domestic routes. The project is led by construction company Hensel Phelps, with Architecture and Engineering company HNTB Corporation, in association with Gensler. The design is currently scheduled to be finalized by the end of 2025, with Airside D scheduled to be open to the public in 2028.
For more information, check AirsideD.com and sign up for our monthly Airside D newsletter.
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