Infrastructure Improvements by 2028
There are exciting infrastructure improvements coming to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). They are vast and cover a number of different categories.
World-class airport
LAX served 87.5 million passengers in 2018, a number that is expected to jump to somewhere between 120 to 130 million by 2023. As the fourth busiest airport in the world, it stands by the motto to “serve the world connecting people, places and cultures.”
During a December luncheon hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Robert Falcon, Deputy Executive Director Planning & Development Groups for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), presented information about the improvements that will be underway at LAX during the lead-up to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Technical advances currently underway include: automated passport control, biometric screening and automated screening lanes. Additionally, LAWA established the framework for prioritizing capital investments to ensure investments enable strategic priorities and solve critical business challenges and determined in what areas it should focus its limited capital dollars.
As a result, all projects must achieve outcomes in one of the following capital priorities:
- Meeting demand
- Enhancing operational performance
- Enhancing guest experience
- Growing net revenue
In addition, LAWA will follow these four foundational principles in developing all projects that are included in the Capital Program:
- Delivering safety and security
- Minimizing environmental impact
- Benefit the community
- Ensuring financial stewardship
Coming soon to Los Angeles International Airport
Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP), is part of the first phase of the Capital Improvement Plan. It promises to modernize one of the country’s busiest airports and make getting around much more efficient.
A concourse will added to the Southwest Terminal (Terminal 1) and also an extension built in the United Terminal (Terminal 8), which will be called Terminal 9.
Another key upgrade at LAX will be an onsite rental car facility, the Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility, also known as ConRAC. Ground broke on the project in September 2019 and it is being built to relocate more than 20 existing rental car locations into one 5.3-million-square-foot hub adjacent to the 405 Freeway.
Once it becomes operational in 2023, the Automated People Mover (APM) will be free for all airport users. The train will arrive at stations every two minutes. Train capacity is 200 passengers (with luggage) and could serve 10,000 passengers per hour (that’s 87.7 million per year). Traveling 2.25 miles along an elevated guideway and powered by electricity and renewable energy, trains will stop at six stations and connect to Metro Rail (Crenshaw and Green Line) transit services, car rental and passenger pick-up/drop-off locations. The ride from end to end will only take 10 minutes.
Ground has also been broken on the new Airport Police Facility (APF). Scheduled for completion in 2021, the 160,000-square-foot building on Westchester Parkway will improve the coordination of resources for essential public safety services by consolidating eight separate operational units under one roof.
Through these many congestion-relieving and security measures, these improvements are expected to enhance the traveler experience and give customers a more predictable and reliable commute to and from the airport.
