Air
Tampa
International Airport is the largest airport
in the region with 21 carriers and more than 17 million
passengers served last year. In addition to the recent opening
of a new terminal, improvements are being planned to handle
25 million passengers by 2020. Traveler satisfaction has
always been a top priority for “America’s Favorite Airport.”
It has won high recognition in the international J.D. Power
and Associates Global Airport Passenger Satisfaction Study
for three consecutive years. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine
recognized TIA as the third best airport in the world and
IATA Skytrax 2003 survey named TIA as the No. 2 airport
in North America.
Sarasota-Bradenton
International Airport has experienced a 19.2
percent increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter
of 2005, mainly due to the addition of AirTran airways and
expanded service to destinations.
St.
Petersburg-Clearwater
International Airport provides
excellent access to commercial airliners, and smaller charter
craft. The airport is currently planning an expansion which
will include new terminal facilities and runway extension.
Dotting the landscape throughout the area, are many general
aviation airports for the aircraft enthusiast and smaller
corporate jets.
Sea
The
Port of Tampa. Seaborne commerce has historically
been a large part of the Tampa Bay area’s economy. It is
fitting that the area boasts the largest port in Florida
and the 10th largest in the nation – the Port of Tampa.
The port accommodates half of Florida’s cargo in the form
of bulk, break bulk, ro-ro, refrigerator and container.
The port also has a large ship repair and building industry,
and recently expanded cruise facilities.
The
Port of Manatee, with
more refrigerated dockside space than any other Gulf of
Mexico port, is the closest of the three Tampa Bay deepwater
ports to the Panama Canal. It is also one of the state's
busiest, ranking fifth among Florida's 14 seaports in total
annual cargo tonnage.
The
Port of St. Petersburg is home to a U.S. Coast
Guard Station and is home to the Ocean Jewel gaming ship.
The smallest of Florida’s ports, it operates as a landlord
port managed by the city of St. Petersburg.
Roads
Tampa Bay area is investing in its future with more than
$1.8 billion in new construction and improvements (current,
proposed, recently completed) to its interstate and highway
infrastructure.
This
construction includes: the expansion of I-4 through East
Hillsborough and Polk counties; improvements to Tampa’s
downtown interchange and I-275 in Hillsborough County; a
reversible-lane bridge on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway;
the widening of I-75; the widening of S.R. 70 in Manatee
County; a new Crosstown Connector to connect the Port of
Tampa with I-4 and the Crosstown Expressway; and additional
expressway overpasses for U.S. 19 in Pinellas.
Rail
CSX
provides dependable rail service for the entire Tampa Bay
region. The railroad serves everymajor population and industrial
center east of the Mississippi including Ontario and Montreal.
CSX also connects with more than 166 bulk intermodal distribution
terminals and rail-to-truck bulk transload facilities throughout
its service area, linking it to all of North America.
