– LAX TRAFFIC ADVISORY – SEPULVEDA TUNNEL AT LAX TO UNDERGO LIGHTING RETROFIT

(Los Angeles, California – October 1, 2012)  Airport officials are advising passengers and motorists that starting tonight, October 1, 2012, the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting will begin lighting improvements in the Sepulveda Tunnel at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  Work will occur between 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, and between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.  The $3.5-million project 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).

            The Sepulveda Tunnel lighting system will be replaced with a new light-emitting-diode system (LED) that will be more energy efficient and require less maintenance.  Tunnel walls also will be washed and repainted.  The overall goal of the project is to address current poor-visibility conditions and other safety issues. The project will also beautify an important entrance to and exit from LAX, thereby enhancing the first and last impressions of Los Angeles for millions of travelers.    

            The Sepulveda Tunnel, near the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Imperial Highway, is at the west end of Interstate 105 (I-105) Century Freeway, a major freeway leading to and from LAX.  During the hours while improvements are being performed, one lane in both north and south directions through the Sepulveda Tunnel will always remain open to provide access to Westchester, El Segundo (South Bay), and the I-105 Freeway.  Motorists are advised to expect traffic congestion in the Sepulveda Tunnel area between 10 p.m. to midnight, the last two hours of LAX’s daily nighttime peak traffic period. 

Motorists using the I-105 Century Freeway to LAX can avoid the Sepulveda Tunnel area during late-night hours by using Interstate 405 (I-405) San Diego Freeway and exiting on westbound Century Boulevard.  Motorists leaving LAX can use eastbound Century Boulevard to access eastbound I-105 at Aviation Boulevard, or both directions of I-405 at La Cienega Boulevard. 

            The improvement project will occur in phases -- starting on the south end of the tunnel -- in order to minimize traffic impacts to air travelers and motorists.

            The work is part of a collaborative effort among several state and local agencies brought together by Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl of District 11 (which includes LAX) and in partnership with California State Assemblywoman Betsy Butler of District 53 (which includes LAX).  The agencies involved are the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), which is responsible for Sepulveda Boulevard, a state thoroughfare; Los Angeles City Street Lighting and Street Services bureaus and Los Angeles Department of General Services, which are contracted by CalTrans to maintain the roadway, tunnel, pumps and other infrastructure; and Los Angeles World Airports, which owns and operates the LAX south airfield that lies above the Sepulveda Tunnel. 

            Passengers are advised to check with their airlines to ensure their flights are on time before coming to the airport.  Real-time flight status can be found atwww.lawa.org/fswand on many airlines’ Internet websites.  LAX traffic conditions can be found at http://www.lawa.org/laxdev/RoadAlerts.aspx.