-- LAX CONSTRUCTION TRAFFIC ADVISORY – “LAX CENTRAL TERMINAL AREA CURB APPEAL IMPROVEMENTS” CONSTRUCTION PROJECT TO BEGIN IN FRONT OF TOM BRADLEY INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL
Terminal Curbside Passenger Drop Off/ Pick Up To Become More Restricted
(Los Angeles, California – July 23, 2012) Passengers and visitors to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are advised that the terminal’s north entrance doors on the Upper/Departures Level will be closed beginning 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 23, 2012. The center and south entrances will remain accessible to the public. This marks the beginning of the LAX Central Terminal Curb Appeal Improvement Project, which will be performed in phases. After the north entrance is completed and reopened, construction will begin on the center entrance doors. When the center is completed and reopened, the south entrance work will begin. Throughout this project, the curbside between TBIT and Terminal 4 on the Upper/Departures Level also will be barricaded so motorists will not be allowed to drop off passengers at this location. The sidewalk along this curb will remain open for pedestrians. These vehicular and pedestrian restrictions in front of TBIT will be in effect through Spring 2013.
These temporary restrictions will facilitate a $23.5-million project to improve the “Curb Appeal of the Central Terminal Area,” which will replace the existing 28-year-old glass canopies in front of TBIT with modern ones that incorporate the architectural theme of the New Tom Bradley International Terminal currently under construction on the west side of the existing TBIT. Work also will include replacing exterior escalators, installing new building signage, and replacing existing street lamps with modern-looking and energy-efficient lighting in and around the terminal roadways.
The project also includes replacing the Lower/Arrivals Level vestibule between the
sidewalk and entrance doors with a passenger-friendly exit plaza with new landscaping, improved lighting, and new seating areas for travelers waiting to be picked up.
In addition to the above new pedestrian and vehicular flow restrictions, the following current construction-related restrictions that began in early June are still in effect:
- Curbside lanes on both the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels between Terminal 3 and TBIT remain closed. Motorists may NOT stop on either level at these locations to drop off or pick up passengers. On the Lower/Arrivals Level, traffic is detoured from the inner roadway lanes to the outer lanes.
- Curb lane on the Upper/Departures Level directly in front of TBIT will continue to close Monday through Friday from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m.
- Pedestrians on the Lower/Arrivals Level from north to south in front of TBIT will continue to experience minor detours or restricted sidewalks.
- Parking Structure 3 (across from Terminal 3 and the north side of TBIT) northwest entrance remains closed. Access to P-3 continues at the northeast entrance.
The closure of the inner lanes between Terminal 3 and TBIT described above is due to the $438-million Central Utility Plant (CUP) Replacement Project, which will replace the 50-year-old, existing CUP with a modern, energy-efficient facility featuring state-of-the-art computerized management systems. This facility will provide heating, air conditioning, and electricity to the nine airline terminals and other buildings in the Central Terminal Area. Other future lane closures are expected as 8.7 miles of distribution and plant piping are installed between the new CUP and terminals.
The LAX Central Terminal Area Curb Appeal Improvement and the Central Utility Plant Replacement projects are part of the $4.11-billion LAneXt™ capital improvement program comprised of nearly 25 projects that will modernize LAX and represent a major leap forward in
passenger convenience, airport design and safety. The LAneXt™ program is the largest public works project in the history of the City of Los Angeles, creating nearly 40,000 jobs and providing $2.62 billion in labor income.
Airport personnel are carefully coordinating vehicular traffic closures related to airport construction to ensure vehicular traffic flows as smoothly as possible. The following tips will
help passengers plan their next trip to/from LAX:
- Passengers, motorists, airport workers and vendors should plan accordingly and allow more time to get to/from the LAX Central Terminal Area.
- Before driving to LAX, check for up-to-date, construction-related alerts
- 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.
- If picking up passengers, park and wait in the LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot until your arriving party calls to say they have claimed their checked luggage and are waiting terminal curbside. The cell phone waiting lot is located at the northwest corner of 96thStreet and Vicksburg Avenue, adjacent to the entrance of LAX Economy Parking Lot C at 96th Street and Sepulveda Boulevard.
- If picking up passengers, save gas and reduce traffic congestion by parking your vehicle and waiting inside the terminal for your party.
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.
