OCTOBER MODERNIZATION HIGHLIGHTS: Key Updates on Construction Projects at LAX

10/01/2019 09:00 AM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 1, 2019

CONTACT:
Charles H. Pannunzio
(424) 646-5260
OCTOBER MODERNIZATION HIGHLIGHTS
Key Updates on Construction Projects at LAX

Construction of Terminal 1.5 hit a milestone in September with the "topping out" for steel erection.

(Los Angeles, CA) Each month, Los Angeles World Airports shares updates on current and upcoming construction projects at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As the airport is in the midst of a multibillion-dollar modernization program, new projects are starting with regular frequency. This newsletter contains information about the status of projects within the terminals at LAX, as well as construction impacts to the airport roadways and the surrounding communities.

Earlier this year, LAX introduced the @FlyLAXstats Twitter feed, which provides frequently updated traffic, parking and TSA wait time information.

An interactive map that includes current construction projects can be found here: https://www.flylax.com/en/lax-traffic-and-ground-transportation/airport-construction-map Click on the hard hats for more information about specific lane closures and construction projects.

Work to demolish the canopy between Terminals 5 and 6 will close two drop-off lanes on the Upper/Departures Level through mid-November.

Roadway and Transit Impacts in the Central Terminal Area:

  • Terminals 1 and 2: The right-most drop-off lane on the Upper/Departures Level is closed to vehicles until March 2020 while it is used for a covered pedestrian walkway in the Terminal 1.5 construction area between Terminals 1 and 2. All of the inner lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level will be closed overnight, with one lane reopened during the day, while work takes place on a water line under the roadway through early October.
  • Terminal 3: All inner lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level are closed overnight to allow work on underground utilities. One inner lane remains open during the day and evening. Curb space remains tight in the area and motorists are encouraged to consider parking in a structure when picking up passengers. The first 15 minutes are free in all parking structures within the Central Terminal Area, and it is only $5 for the first hour.
  • Tom Bradley International Terminal: The right-most pick-up lane on the Lower/Arrivals Level is closed between Columns B2 and B5 on the northern side of the terminal for use as a pedestrian walkway during work to add a new Automated People Mover (APM) core to the front of the building. Motorists are encouraged to consider parking or picking up pasengers south of the closure. The right drop-off lane is closed on the Upper/Departures Level for use as a pedestrian walkway during demolition of the canopy ahead of APM core construction.
  • Terminals 4 and 5: Work is scheduled to take place this month to demolish the Upper/Departures Level canopy in preparation for APM core construction. Both drop-off lanes and sidewalk in the area will be closed, with pedestrians detoured onto a termporary walkway. On the Lower/Arrivals Level, work will take place later this month to widen the center median, requiring closure of two inner lanes and one outer lane for several days. Where shuttle stops are closed, guests will be directed to the nearest open stop.
  • Terminals 5 and 6: Work continues to demolish the Upper/Departures Level canopy in preparation for APM core construction. Both drop-off lanes and sidewalk in the area will be closed, with pedestrians detoured onto a temporary walkway during the day and into the building during overnight hours.  On the Lower/Arrivals Level, work will take place later this month to widen the center median, requiring closure of two inner lanes and one outer lane for several days. Where shuttle stops are closed, guests will be directed to the nearest open stop.
  • Overnight lane closures: Some pick-up lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level may be closed between 1 and 6 a.m. for utility location work in the Central Terminal Area traffic loop. During work, pedestrians will be directed to the nearest open stops. Overnight lane closures are possible Oct. 9-10, when a crane is scheduled to be moved into the former north parking lot near 1 World Way.
  • Center Way: Center Way is closed between the Tom Bradley International Terminal and West Way to allow for construction of the APM's West Station. Intermittent lane reductions are in effect Monday through Friday from 1-9 a.m. for underground utility work. The right-most lane adjacent to Parking Structure 7 will be closed overnight during work to demolish the parking booths and exit ramp from the roof. Lane closures may take place starting in late October when Cast-In-Drilled-Hole work begins for the East CTA APM Station.
Traffic signals are operating at Jetway Boulevard and Westchester Parkway

Impacts Near LAX:

  • Aviation Boulevard: A temporary detour route has opened to allow for the lowering of Aviation Boulevard and construction of a new 98th Street extension. The route may be closed overnight or on weekends to facilitate utility work. In addition, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is expected to begin replacement of an underground transmission cable that runs along Aviation Boulevard between Imperial Highway and Manchester Avenue, with work taking place Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m to 6 p.m. Work to restore the curbs and traffic signals at 104th Street, 111th Street and Imperial Highway in the area of Metro's Crenshaw/LAX Project will require temporary lane closures.
  • Jetway Boulevard: An 800-foot section of the new road, which will eventually connect Westchester Parkway and Century Boulevard, is open to serve the new Avis Rental Cars location and provide access to the ride app holding lot. The remainder of the road will open in 2023. Traffic signals and crosswalks have been installed at the intersection of Jetway Boulevard and Westchester Parkway to allow controlled turns for employee parking. 
  • Sepulveda Boulevard: Overnight lane closures are possible between Manchester Avenue and Century Boulevard as Caltrans performs pavement rehabilitation. The work will take place on weeknights between 12 a.m. and 4 a.m., and at least one through lane will remain open. 
  • Streets Surrounding LAX: Intermittent, short-term lane closures may take place to conduct underground utility exploration and relocation as needed on streets in the LAX area. Streets include Century Boulevard, 96th and 98th Streets, Airport Boulevard, Westchester Parkway/Arbor Vitae Street, and Aviation Boulevard. At least one through lane of traffic will be maintained at all times and access to businesses will be maintained.
JetBlue, Frontier and Allegiant have moved their ticket counters to the central portion of Terminal 5..

Terminal Construction/Renovation:

  • Terminal 1: Gate 10 is permanently closed for construction of Terminal 1.5. Gate 12A is closed until completion of Terminal 1.5. The pedestrian bridge connecting Parking Structure 1 and the terminal is closed, with signs placed to direct passengers.
  • Terminals 2 and 3: Because of construction guests should make sure they go to the correct terminal, as the indoor connectors on the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels are closed for demolition work that begins later this month. According to Delta Air Lines, its passengers flying to all international destinations as well as Atlanta, Detroit, Hawaii, New York (JFK), Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington National should check their bags in Terminal 2. All other domestic passengers should drop their bags at Terminal 3. Sky Priority passengers can drop their bags in either terminal. Guests in T3 are routed downstairs to a Security Screening Check Point on the Lower/Arrivals Level. Gate 22 is closed. 
  • Tom Bradley International Terminal: Due to APM core construction, the north escalators and stairs located outside the terminal are temporarily closed. Several offices on the Upper/Departures Level have moved due to the construction. The Customs and Border Protection is located near the south checkpoint escalators. The LAWA information desk is across from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. International Currency Exchange is on the north side of the terminal. A future AMEX Centurion Lounge is under construction through early 2020. Gate 131 is closed for construction of improvements to the baggage handling facility, and Gate 132 is closed until later this fall for work related to the Midfield Satellite Concourse. Work continues on an addition to the terminal near Gate 148 that will house elevators and escalators that access the tunnel to the new concourse. DFS Group Limited is conducting extensive renovation of its retail stores throughout 2019.
  • Terminals 4 and 5: A $1.6 billion renovation program continues. Baggage Carousels 1 and 2 in Terminal 4 are undergoing replacement. Two new carousels, numbered 5 and 6, are now available in Terminal 5. American Airlines' check-in counter in Terminal 5 has moved to the west end of the ticketing lobby, with Sun Country moving just to its east. JetBlue, Frontier, and Allegiant have moved their ticket counters to the central portion of the lobby. Signs are posted to direct customers to the new locations.
The ground level of Parking Structure 3 is being converted to a pickup area for guests arriving at the
Tom Bradley International Terminal, expected to open early this month.

Sidewalk/Walkway/Parking Structure Restrictions and Closures:

  • Real-Time Parking Updates: Guests can access maps with real-time information on how full parking structures within the Central Terminal Area and Economy Lot E are by visiting https://www.flylax.com/en/parking-at-lax. Parking rates and a calculator to estimate costs can also be found on this webpage. Parking availability can also be found on the @FlyLAXstats Twitter feed.
  • Terminals 1 and 2: Construction on Terminal 1.5 will narrow the sidewalk between Terminals 1 and 2 on the Lower/Arrivals Level. A covered walkway is located on the Upper/Departures Level, and will be in place until March 2020.
  • Parking Structures 3 and 4: The bridge between P3 and P4 has been demolished. A temporary traffic pattern is in place due to enabling work for construction of the APM. An automated payment system has replaced the cashier booths, with motorists exiting the structures onto World Way. Because of construction in the area, the number of exit lanes is limited. Fire sprinkler installation will take place one level at a time, starting in P3 and then moving to P4. The ground level of P3 is being converted into a passenger pickup area, expected to open early this month. 
  • Tom Bradley International Terminal: On the Lower/Arrivals Level, the right-most lane is being used as a pedestrian walkway during work to prepare for construction of an APM core.
  • Parking Structure 6: The pedestrian bridge between Parking Structure 6 and Terminal 6 has been removed. Guests should access Terminals 5 and 6 from the Lower/Arrivals Level.
  • Parking Structure 7: Over-height vehicles are no longer allowed on the roof of P7. Vehicles will exit the structure from the ground floor. An automated payment system has replaced cashier booths. Vehicles now use a temporary exit onto World Way South. Work is taking place to demolish the old cashier booths and ramp from the roof to Center Way.
  • Lot E: Economy Lot E is open at 5455 W. 111th St., offering approximately 2,700 long-term spaces for $12 a day. 
Please note that all dates provided in this notice are subject to change. Up-to-date construction alerts showing roadway lane restrictions and sidewalk closures in the terminal loop, as well as a pedestrian walking map and helpful airline terminal finder, can be found at  www.flyLAX.com. LAX also partners with Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic reporting app, to provide enhanced information on conditions inside the airport and on nearby roadways. 
Dirt removal work continues at the site of the future Airport Police Facility off Westchester Parkway.

Updates on Other Projects:

  • Airport Police Facility: A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for early this month. Soil excavation work has resumed at the site located on the corner of Westchester Parkway and Loyola Boulevard. Parking will not be allowed on 94th Street west of Lincoln Boulevard for the duration of the project.
Work is taking place to widen the center medians on the Lower/Arrivals Level this month.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.  

  

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues. 

 

LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named  a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

 

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.  

For more information about LAX, please visit  www.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter  @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at   www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.  

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities.  Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

 
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