Los Angeles, California – 2012-10-4 — /travelprnews.com/ — LAXageddon?? No, but we are shutting down lanes in the Central Terminal Area as we re-build Los Angeles International Airport!
Although the dreaded Carmageddon I-405 closure had minimal impact at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the removal of a pedestrian bridge at the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) this week may cause some congestion for motorists. Beginning tonight, from midnight to 5:30 a.m., through October 6, 2012, phased closures of traffic lanes within the LAX Central Terminal Area (CTA) take effect so construction workers can remove a pedestrian bridge between Parking Structure 4 and TBIT. The removal of the pedestrian bridge will make way for new art deco light poles with a similarity to the lighting program provided by the iconic LAX Gateway pylons into the Central Terminal Area.
New canopies and energy-efficient lighting that will change the front of all the terminals will also be installed as part of a $43-million Curbside Appeal Project. Work is not expected to impact a large number of travelers as it will take place during the early-morning, slower hours at the airport between midnight to 5:30 a.m. However, a broad spectrum of safety measures have been implemented to maintain safety and to minimize traffic impacts around the construction site.
As a reminder, motorists are also advised of ongoing lane restrictions in the Sepulveda Tunnel due to a lighting retrofit beginning tonight between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, and between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. This $3.5-million project by the LA City Bureau of Street Lighting will continue through June 30, 2013, with NO work scheduled during two periods: October 11 and 12 (Space Shuttle Endeavour’s surface-street departure from LAX) and November 16 through January 2, 2013 (holiday season).
Up-to-date construction traffic alerts related to LAneXt™ and an all new interactive map updated daily showing current closures can be found at http://www.la-next.com. LAX’s social media sites at Twitter.com/LAX_Official and www.Facebook/com/LAInternationalAirport will also post traffic alerts and current conditions in the Central Terminal Area.
Work in the Central Terminal Area during this week will affect entrances to Parking Structures 3 and 4, and crosswalks at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Lane restrictions will be limited to the area in front of TBIT with comprehensive detour and rerouting signs and information for motorists and shuttles. ADA Shuttles will remain operational at all of their current stops on the Inner Arrivals.
This project is in addition to the on-going $1.545-billion New Tom Bradley International Terminal, which will feature 18 new gates (nine of which will handle new-generation aircraft such as the Airbus A380); 150,000-square-foot Great Hall for shopping, dining, airline lounges and other passenger amenities; new passenger security screening station; and upgraded customs and immigration inspection areas. Phase I of New TBIT (the west gates and Great Hall) will open Spring 2013 and the rest of the terminal a year later. Replacement of the escalators in front of TBIT is part of a $270-million Elevator, Escalator and Moving Walkway Modernization Project to be completed in phases by 2016.
According to airport officials, up until now, LAneXt™ airport capital improvement projects did not impact vehicular traffic on the Central Terminal Area roadways because the projects occurred on the airfield, inside the terminals, or on the sidewalks. Other major projects include the $737-million renovation of the current Tom Bradley International Terminal completed March 2010; $333.8-million South Airfield Improvements completed June 2008; $13.5-million replacement Los Angeles Fire Department LAX Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Station 80 completed November 2010; $12.3-million renovation and seismic retrofitting of the iconic LAX Theme Building completed June 2010; $13.9-million LAX Airport Response Coordination Center completed December 2010; $82-million Crossfield Taxiway completed June 2010; the $175-million Taxilane S Project completed September 2011; and the $238-million renovation of Terminal 6 by Alaska Airlines completed March 2012.
Airport personnel are carefully coordinating closures to ensure vehicular traffic flows as smoothly as possible. The following tips will help passengers plan their next trip to LAX:
1. Before driving to LAX, check for construction-related alerts at www.la-next.com and for real-time traffic conditions at http://trafficinfo.lacity.org/html/lax.html.
2. Take public transportation to/from LAX, including the inexpensive and convenient LAX FlyAway® nonstop bus service at Union Station, Van Nuys, Westwood and Irvine Station.
3. If picking up passengers, park and wait in the LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot until your arriving party calls to say they are waiting terminal curbside. The cell phone waiting lot is located at the northwest corner of 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue, adjacent to the entrance of LAX Economy Parking Lot C at 96th Street and Sepulveda Boulevard.
4. If picking up passengers, save gas and reduce traffic congestion by parking your vehicle and waiting inside the terminal for your party.
A 2011 study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation found that the LAneXt™ modernization program, comprised of nearly 25 individual projects, is having an enormous impact on the local economy by creating nearly 40,000 jobs and generating $2.62 billion in worker wages. In addition, operations in the completed facilities are expected to create thousands of permanent jobs, ensuring LAX will continue to be a regional economic engine for years to come.
About Los Angeles International Airport
LAX is the sixth busiest airport in the world and third in the United States, offering more than 600 daily flights to 91 domestic cities and more than 1,000 weekly nonstop flights to 58 cities in 32 countries on nearly 75 air carriers. It ranks 13th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed. In 2011, LAX served more than 61 million passengers, processed over 1.8 million tons of air cargo valued at nearly $84.6 billion, and handled 603,912 aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs). LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and 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.lawa.aero/lax or follow us on Twitter @LAX_Official, on Facebook at facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.
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Contact: Albert Rodriguez
(424) 646-5260