b'PARKINGTPA69The airport will gain an estimated 384 spaces in its long-term garage, which had 8,478 before the project, and about 140 spaces in the short-term garage, which already had 3,575. Adding that many parking spaces will be a huge benefit for us, McAtee comments.Not all of the new spaces are available at the moment, because one floor and half of another floor in the short-term garage are closed until crews finish deck repairs associated with removing the monorail.Operating without those parking spaces poses a challenge, especially during the holidays. But the project team reduced construction activity as much as possible during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 holiday seasons to maximize the available spaces. Sometimes we just have to get creative and park vehicles wherever we can find space, including in overflow lots not normally used for public parking, McAtee shares. From there, we bus passengers to the terminal.The airport recently gained more than 2,000 parking spaces on the first two floors of the long-term garage when it relocated rental car operations elsewhere. Non-Standard Design Designed for the Future Manufactured by Schindler Elevator, TPAs new moving walkways are a bit unusual because they are pitless Typically, such systems are installed at or near ground level, with their mechanical equipment situated below grade. But due to the way the long-term garage was constructed, it wasnt possible for crews to cut into the concrete deck and bury the walkway mechanicals.So TPAs walkways sit atop the existing concrete slab, with gradual ramps at both ends to ease the roughly 15-inch height transition. The concrete was reinforced with steel beams to accommodate the extra weight, he says. BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEMDESIGN / CONSULTATION / ANALYSIS/ Installation started in October 2021 and ended in June 2023.ASSESSMENT / OAR SERVICESThe project originally was scheduled for completion in December 2022, but pandemic-related manufacturing disruptions addedMaintained for Performance about six months to the schedule.During construction, customers were still able to walk through the long-term parking garage to reach the main terminal. We had it all well-signed to make sure passengers could easily follow a path to the terminal, says McAtee.C&S Companies was the design/engineering consultant for the project. The general contractor was Manhattan Construction Co. Bonus BenefitReplacing the monorail system boosted service. Removing it yieldedBAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM /yet another valuable benefit: room for additional parking spaces. AndPASSENGER BOARDING BRIDGE that is no small matter at airports like TPA that have limited space toOPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE Airport Servicesbuild more parking structures. www.jsmandassociates.comsolutions@jsmairports.comAirportImprovement.comMay | June 2024'