TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The red and blue cars that carry travelers to and from Airsides A and C will soon be replaced.
Tampa International Airport said the shuttles have been in operation since the 1990s and are due to be replaced.
“These vehicles, which are built to operate continuously, have run for more than one million miles and served us well over the years,” said Matthew Deloatche, TPA Senior Project Director for Planning & Development. “Now it’s time to refresh this integral part of the TPA experience for all our passengers.”
Over the next few weeks, the airport said it will temporarily switch to a single-shuttle operation as crews work on the upgrades.
The work will happen overnight between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Monday through Friday starting in mid-April, officials said.
“During that time, crews will be replacing bearing pads, which act as shock absorbers under the guideways’ steel supports. The work will begin on the blue shuttles at each Airside, then switch to the red shuttles,” officials said in a news release.
In May, the single-lane operation will go into effect full-time as crews remove and replace the concrete guideways one lane at a time.
Once the old shuttles are removed, the new ones will be lifted onto the guideways with a crane. All four pairs of shuttles are scheduled to be operational by Spring 2025.
Officials said the project will cost $61 million. It is being funded with bonds and state grants.
