LAX MODERNIZATION UPDATE: OCTOBER CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES EXPECTED TO CAUSE PASSENGER IMPACTS

(Los Angeles, California – September 29, 2016)  The modernization of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) continues with more than $3 million spent each day on 25 major construction projects.  Progress is happening!  The construction, part of a multi-billion-dollar capital-improvement program underway throughout LAX, will result in a modern airport that significantly improves the overall guest experience for the modern traveler. LAX has also joined with Waze, the world’s largest community-based traffic reporting app, to provide enhanced information on conditions inside the CTA and on nearby roadways.  

Roadway Impacts:   

·         Terminal 1 is located at the entrance to the airport, and during busy travel times such as early morning and midday, passenger drop-off causes traffic backups on the roads leading into the CTA, affecting access to all other terminals.  Drivers may find it easier to drop off passengers between Terminals 1 and 2.  The drop-off lane is closed weeknights from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. due to construction of a canopy over the sidewalk.  To avoid traffic congestion at LAX from early morning to 2 p.m., motorists are asked to use the Lower/Arrivals Level to drop off passengers, who can take elevators, escalators or stairs up to the departures level.

·         Redevelopment of Terminal 7 has closed a 135-foot section of the passenger drop-off area on the Upper/Departures Level, which will remain in place through April 2017.

·         Some sidewalks on the Lower/Arrivals Level are restricted while improvements are made in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act or due to work on elevator towers in the parking structures.  Passengers and airport employees are asked to cross the roadways at marked crosswalks ONLY.  There is also the potential for rotating lane closures on the Lower/Arrivals Level roadway overnight into the early afternoon hours.  Contractors may occasionally close the leftmost lane, adjacent to parking structures, on the Lower/Arrivals Level for landscaping improvements or to work on the structures’ elevators.

Terminal Construction/Renovation :

·         Terminal 1:   Phase 2 of Southwest Airlines’ $509-million Terminal 1 Renovation Project continues in the eastern part of the terminal, including the former check-in lobby, with barricades in place.  The pedestrian bridge connecting Parking Structure 1 and the terminal is closed, with signs placed to direct passengers.  The restrooms on the ticketing level have been temporarily replaced by unisex restrooms on the western side of the lobby.  Passengers may also use restrooms located on the Lower/Arrivals Level or in the terminal beyond passenger security screening.  Gate 15 has reopened while Gates 17A, 17B, 18A and 18B are closed for renovations.  Work continues in the food court area.  Westfield is phasing the openings of new concessions, with a total of 24 to be installed through 2017.

·        Terminal 2:  LAWA’s $332-million Terminal 2 Modernization Project continues in the ticketing lobby, where barricades have split the airlines’ check-in operations.  Gate 25 is closed while a new passenger boarding bridge is installed. 

·        Terminal 4 Connector:   The Terminal 4 Connector is now open, allowing screened passengers to walk between the southside Terminals 4-8 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) without leaving the secured side of the airport.

·        Terminal 4:   Work to refresh gate-area holding rooms is taking place overnight through November. The Admirals Club is being renovated, with an expected completion date of June 2017.

·        Terminals 7/8:   United Airlines is continuing work on its $573-million Terminal 7/8 Renovation Project that is scheduled for completion in early 2018.  Access to Terminal 7 is through a walkway near Gate 71A.  Gates 70B and 73 are closed for renovations through October.  Gates 81 and 82 are closed, and will be consolidated into a new Gate 81 to accommodate larger aircraft.  A new women’s restroom will open near Gate 71B this month.  A replacement Baggage Carousel 3 is scheduled to open this month, while work continues on a new Baggage Carousel 1.  The United Baggage Service office will move to a temporary location near the new arrivals level restrooms on the west end of the baggage claim area.  The elevated walkway to Parking Structure 7 is closed – access to the parking structure is available on the Lower/Arrivals Level.  Keep in mind that Terminals 7 and 8 can be reached using East Way, a short-cut between the north and south terminals that eliminates the need to travel around the entire Central Terminal Area.

Sidewalk/Walkway/Parking Structure Restrictions and Closures :

·         As part of the Terminal 1 Renovation Project, portions of the sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level will be closed through 2017 with pedestrians routed around barricaded areas.  Overnight work on the canopy system will require closure of the sidewalk at the western end of the terminal on the Upper/Departures Level from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. weeknights.  Pedestrians will be detoured via signage into the drop-off lane.

·         The west tower elevators of Parking Structure 1 are re-opened after upgrades to the elevators.  Upgrades to the elevators in the east tower will close a portion of the sidewalk on the Lower/Arrivals Level through February 2017.

·        Work on the west side elevators in Parking Structure 3 has temporarily closed a portion of the sidewalk, where a detour leads passengers safely to the crosswalk to reach the terminal.  Signs are also posted to re-route passengers to other elevators in the parking structure.

·         Portions of the sidewalk and curbside sidewalk at Terminals 2 and 3 on the Lower/Arrivals Level are restricted overnight while electrical conduit is installed.

·         A portion of the sidewalk on the north side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal is closed during construction of a Planet Hollywood restaurant inside the terminal.

·         The two elevators in the south tower at Parking Structure 4 are out of service while upgrades are taking place this month.  Two other pairs of elevators remain in service.

·         Upgrades to the elevator tower in Parking Structure 5 will reduce service to one elevator at a time through January 2017.

·         Work on the lobby floors will close the east elevators and stair tower at Parking Structure 6 in mid-October.

·         Elevators in the east tower have reopened in Parking Structure 7.  Elevator and stair upgrades will close the west tower at Parking Structure 7 through April 2017.

·         Pedestrians are routed to a bump-out sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level at Terminal 7 while the sidewalk is widened.  A 175-foot-long barricade exists along the easternmost sidewalk on the Upper/Departures Level of Terminals 7/8 through 2017. 

·         Landscaping around Parking Structures 3 and 4 may result in sidewalk restrictions.  Signs will be posted when necessary.

Please note that all dates provided in this notice are subject to change.

      Airport officials are asking motorists to help reduce traffic congestion in and around LAX by taking public transportation to and from LAX, including the inexpensive and convenient FlyAway® bus service to and from Hollywood, Long Beach, Metro Orange Line Bus stop (in San Fernando Valley), Union Station, Van Nuys and Westwood.  If picking up passengers, motorists are encouraged to park and wait at the free LAX Cell Phone Waiting Lot at the intersection of 96th Street and Vicksburg Avenue, next to the entrance of LAX Economy Parking Lot C.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States.  LAX served more than 74.9 million passengers in 2015.  LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,273 weekly nonstop flights to 76 cities in 41 countries on 64 commercial air carriers.  LAX ranks 12th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.1 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion.  An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,610 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion.  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 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.