Tampa International Airport will construct a $155 million air traffic control tower. The old one was built back in July 1972. That makes it among the oldest still running in America. The Federal Aviation Administration greenlit the project and kicked in $18 million for radar systems and upgraded controller displays.
Transportation officials say new tech will reduce delays. Cancellations should drop too.
At the base sits the main building. Inside, the radar approach control team directs all planes coming in and going out.
Towers demand constant updates to manage automated systems. Michael McCormick teaches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He explained that old structures need work to support modern computers. Plumbing requires attention. So do electrical lines, waterproofing, and air conditioning.
“Their jobs are difficult. They’re stressful. They’re taxing,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Aug. 11 regarding air traffic controllers, according to Fox13 News. “If we can alleviate some of that pressure by giving them additional tools, we wanna do that for them.”
McCormick talked about updating gear while controllers are in short supply across the nation. “As technology evolves over time in a control tower, you start installing more and more automation, and you need to have the ventilation and air conditioning system that can handle all those new processors and equipment being installed in the control tower,” McCormick said.
Where will the new tower stand? Officials haven’t said yet. No start date has been announced either. Controllers must see the entire airfield without anything blocking their view, so planners are flying drones to test different spots.
How long will it take? Nobody knows for sure. Officials expect construction to last a few years. The work happens while TPA wraps up its new Airside D terminal.