TIA hears public input on long-range ideas

April 12--TAMPA -- Despite failures at the local and state levels to improve the region's ground transportation, people interested in Tampa International Airport's future want to be sure any plans accommodate transit improvements.

Airport officials seeking input for a master plan update heard a variety of suggestions from airport and business stakeholders and the general public in three sessions on Wednesday.

Transportation to and from the airport was a prevalent theme, with airport officials stressing that planning now is vital to ensure options for the future.

"We can't have someone five years from now say we want to put rail right there, and say, no, we just put a hangar there," airport chief executive Joe Lopano said.

Lopano and his staff provided an in-depth look at how the airport can use the remainder of its underutilized property on the 3,700 acres it owns.

Among the general concepts being studied in the master plan update, which is scheduled to be completed in January, is a monorail to link the main terminal with the south side of the airport, where a regional transit center could be built.

More detailed plans will be revealed in a second round of public input sessions in August; a final round of input sessions is scheduled for November.

People interested in submitting suggestions for consideration can file them at tampaairport.com.

Lopano said one issue under study is how to get the main terminal to accommodate 30 million annual passengers, a figure that would not be reached until sometime after 2031 under new projections being submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration for review.

As things stand today, the situation at the main terminal would get "crazy" at about 20 million annual passengers, Lopano said.

"At 25 million, it would be degrading," he said.

Copyright 2012 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.