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TIA OKs Bid For 2nd Economy Parking Garage

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 11, 2008

Updated: 01/10/2008 10:12 pm

TAMPA - An Alabama company has been awarded a $60 million contract to build a second economy parking garage at Tampa International Airport.

The garage, when completed next year, will have 5,668 parking spaces. Plans call for 3,000 spaces to be ready by Thanksgiving.

The project will bring the total number of parking spaces at the airport garages and lots to more than 26,000.

The new six-story structure will adjoin the economy garage east of the post office and is scheduled to be completed by May 2009. It will be served by access and exit ramps built for the first economy garage, which opened in 2005.

Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham, Ala., edged Clark Construction Group of Tampa for the low bid for the project by $43,600. Clark built the first economy garage.

Because of a decline in local construction activity in the residential market and the improved availability of labor, the airport is expected to save money on construction costs of the second economy lot.

"It will cost us about $100 a parking space less than the first economy garage," airport director Louis Miller said.

The cost of the project, including design fees previously awarded to Gresham, Smith and Partners of Nashville, will be $69.6 million.

The project includes restrooms in the adjacent cell phone waiting lot, 300 paved spaces in an overflow lot and improvements to service roads adjacent to the post office.

In other action Thursday, the aviation authority approved a $1.8 million contract for Mathews Construction of Tampa to design a baggage claim expansion project for the main terminal.
Airport officials expect construction of the project to cost about $20 million. A contract for that phase has not been awarded. The project is expected to begin in early 2009 and be completed the same year.

The baggage claim project, if approved, would replace all 17 current bag claim belts and add four new ones.

The new system is expected to handle baggage more efficiently for the 12 million to 14 million passengers expected to use the airport annually by October 2015. That is when a new north terminal is scheduled to open to relieve passenger traffic at the main terminal.

The current baggage system was designed to accommodate about 10 million inbound passengers annually - the amount that uses the airport currently.

The aviation authority also approved a $1.76 million construction contract change order for Cone & Graham of Tampa to add a third lane to the George Bean Parkway's departure corridor.

That project, which is under construction, is intended to expand and improve airport access and departure. The new lane is slated to be complete by January 2009.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at tjackovics@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7817.

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