MORE THAN 550 PEOPLE ATTEND SMALL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE FORUM TO ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN LAX’S $5.5-BILLION LANDSIDE ACCESS MODERNIZATION PROGRAM
(Los Angeles, California – July 12, 2016) More than 550 people attended a Small Business Enterprise Forum today to learn more about Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA) initiative to encourage participation from local, small businesses in the $5.5-billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The event at the Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport was tailored to Los Angeles’ local contracting community, giving attendees an opportunity to introduce themselves to interested contractors and providing an update on LAMP, and how it will help address traffic congestion and provide better connection to numerous transportation options at the airport.
LAMP consists of four primary components: an Automated People Mover (APM) system, a Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility, two Intermodal Transportation Facilities (east and west), as well as roadway improvements to enhance access to the proposed facilities. LAMP is designed to relieve traffic congestion within the LAX Central Terminal Area and on surrounding streets, improve access options and the overall airport guest experience for travelers, and connect the airport via a station to Metro’s light-rail system.
An important benefit of the building program will be its ability to help provide jobs in the community, according to LAWA officials. “The legacy of local economic impact potential of the direct and indirect business and job opportunities from billions of dollars of upcoming procurement cannot be lost,” said Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Valeria Velasco. “Giving the local, small business community an opportunity to show what they can do for contractors who are interested in LAMP is key to this effort.”
“We need to do more than build state-of-the-art facilities. LAWA needs to lead the way and create programs focused on local-community inclusion and expand jobs through educating and training our workforce,” said Board of Airport Commissioners Member Nolan Rollins. “Integrated teams comprised of businesses of all sizes and diversity are the first step s .”
The Small Business Enterprise Forum event marks an affirmation of LAWA’s intent to encourage local, small businesses to participate in the construction program.
“LAWA is committed to a culture of opportunity and inclusion of LAWA’s local, small business communities,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “Today’s event was one of many steps that we will take to express our values in contracting LAMP.”
Of the four project components, LAWA has determined that the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) delivery method will be used for at least the Automated People Mover system and the Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility.
The APM will be an elevated, 2.25-mile-long, airport-transit system with six stations for passenger pick-up and drop-off, pedestrian bridges to airline terminals, parking garages, fixed facilities, and a stop that connects to Metro’s county-wide transit system. The people mover will be free, available 24 hours a day, and have short wait times at each station. The APM will also connect to the ConRAC that will accommodate rental car agencies at one convenient location and be located adjacent to Interstate 405 San Diego Freeway in order to reduce roadway congestion in and around LAX.
Public agencies throughout the nation and internationally have successfully used the DBFOM delivery method to build critical infrastructure projects. In comparison to the design-bid-build delivery method, DBFOM can result in cost savings, greater cost control/cost certainty, schedule acceleration, increased access to private-sector innovation, an ability to transfer appropriate risks to the private sector, life-cycle efficiencies, fixed operations and maintenance payments for the life of the project, and reduced administrative costs.
In June, LAWA released a Request for Qualifications for companies seeking to design, build finance, operate and maintain the APM, and those interested in doing so were in attendance at today’s Small Business Enterprise Forum.
LAWA has begun the environmental review and clearance process for LAMP, and is collaborating with key agency and community stakeholders throughout the process. Most recently a public scoping meeting was held in Westchester to gather comments for the draft of the federally and state-required environmental study.
The APM and ConRAC are anticipated to be completed by 2023.
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners will determine the delivery methods for the other LAMP components at a later date.
For more information about the LAX Landside Access Modernization Program, visit connectinglax.com and www.facebook.com/connectinglax .
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 14th 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. LAX handled 655,564 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2015.
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.
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.
