LAX Construction Traffic Advisory

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LAneXt™ AIRPORT MODERNIZATION TO BEGIN AFFECTING CENTRAL TERMINAL AREA ROADWAY TRAFFIC

Construction To Begin Tuesday, June 5 and Last Over Two Years

Beginning Tuesday, June 5, the first of several temporary lane closures will take effect within the Central Terminal Area roadways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) -- marking the start of vehicular traffic impacts expected over the next two years from various construction projects that are part of the current $4.1-billion LAneXt™ airport modernization program. Passengers, motorists, airport workers and vendors should plan accordingly and allow more time to get to/from LAX. Up-to-date construction traffic alerts related to LAneXt™ can be found at www.la-next.com and at LAX’s social media sites at www.Twitter.com/LAX_Official and www.Facebook/com/LAInternationalAirport.

The following Central Terminal Area roadway and pedestrian alerts will begin at 1 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5, and end as noted:

1. The three curving inner lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level between the west end of Terminal 3 to the north end of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) will be closed to traffic. Motorists at Terminal 3 will be required to leave the inner lanes via the exit lane on the west end of the terminal. They can enter the inner lanes to pick up TBIT passengers via the entry lane on the north end of TBIT. Pedestrians can still access the sidewalk around a construction barrier wall. Taxi cab and shared-ride van (Prime Time and SuperShuttle) services that normally operate at this location will be temporarily suspended. Terminal 3 passengers looking for taxis and shared-ride vans will be directed to Terminal 2. All other types of public ground transportation that stop at the islands in front of each terminal are not affected.
 
2. The curving curbside lane on the Upper/Departures Level between the west end of Terminal 3 to the north end of TBIT will be closed to traffic through July 2012.  Pedestrians can still access the sidewalk around a construction barrier wall. Media broadcast-equipped vehicles, even those with valid LAX Media Parking Permits, will not be allowed to park at this curb during construction.
 
3. Escalators and stairs on the north side of TBIT (between the north end of TBIT to the northside terminal doors) on both the Upper/Departures and Lower/Arrivals levels will be closed through September 2012.  Pedestrians can still access the sidewalks on both levels around construction barrier walls. The escalators and stairs, as well as an elevator, on the south side of TBIT will remain open. Each TBIT entry has more than one set of doors. While some terminal entry doors will be closed during construction, at least one set of doors at each entry will remain open.
 
4. Lane restrictions on Lower/Arrivals Level will occur nightly through June 2012.   Intermittent lane restrictions will occur in front of Terminal 7 (United Airlines) through Friday, June 8; in front of Terminal 4 (American Airlines) from Monday, June 11, through Friday, June 15; and in front of Terminal 5 (Delta Airlines) from Monday, June 18, through Friday, June 22. Little to no traffic impact is expected as these lane restrictions are scheduled from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The closure of the inner lanes between Terminal 3 and TBIT is due to the $438-million Central Utility Plant (CUP) Replacement Project. This project will replace the 50-year-old existing CUP with a modern, energy-efficient facility featuring state-of-the-art computerized management systems that will provide heating, air conditioning and electricity to the nine passenger terminals and other buildings in the Central Terminal Area. Future lane closures are expected as 8.7 miles of distribution and plant piping are installed between the new CUP and terminals.

The closures of the escalators and stairs and Upper/Departures Level curb between Terminal 3 and TBIT are due to the $43-million TBIT Front and Canopy Project that will modernize the front of the international terminal and replace current glass entrance canopies with sleek, modern ones that offer improved lighting. 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. Some of the major earlier 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 LA NeXt™ 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 www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.