The Brief

- Tampa International Airport is often named one of the best airports in the country, but why? The roadway that guides every passenger in and out of the airport holds the answer.

It's called George Bean Parkway.

"He was a very, very well-respected man in the aviation business, in the airport business specifically," says Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano.

George Bean Parkway was named after a very well-respected man in the aviation business.

Originally from Massachusetts, Bean came to Tampa in the 1960s, as plans for a new airport started to develop.

"George Bean had a vision for something that had never been done. So, normally when you go to an airport, you go to the curbside, and you go through the ticketing counters and behind that is the airplane," said Lopano.

Tampa International Airport is often named one of the best airports in the country, but the George Bean Parkway is a big reason why, guiding every passenger in and out of the airport.

But Bean envisioned a central terminal with baggage and other infrastructure along with outlying airside buildings that could be updated or replaced as aircraft and passenger needs changed.

"So, you take a vertical elevator to take you down, and then you would go on a horizontal elevator, which was the train, which would take you out to the airplane," explained Lopano.

It was an idea no one in the industry had ever heard of and Tampa was the first airport in the world to implement it.

"That's the secret sauce of Tampa International Airport. And it wasn't easy for him to get that approved," said Lopano.

Tampa International Airport is often named one of the best airports in the country, but the George Bean Parkway is a big reason why, guiding every passenger in and out of the airport.

The project came with an exorbitant $80 million price tag. But it thinned out the crowds in the airport and created lots of space.

It's a space that travelers are still enjoying, and the airport is still utilizing over 50 years later.

George Bean served as director of Tampa International Airport for 31 years, until 1996. He died in 2004 at the age of 79.

The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Corey Beckman.