LAX Takes Exciting Steps Forward

by Gary Toebben

Last week's Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Board of Airport Commissioner's meeting was a milestone for LAX modernization. The Board approved exciting new terminal upgrades and the beginning of a major investment that will transform how travelers access the airport in the future.

On the terminal front, the Board approved Delta Air Lines' $1.9 billion commitment to renovate Terminal 3, which has gone the longest without upgrades. The Delta project will also connect Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). Southwest Airlines also won approval of a lease agreement for a new terminal building between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The future Terminal 1.5 is a $490 million investment that will create an additional 417,000 square feet of space connecting Terminals 1 and 2. This new terminal will also connect to the Automated People Mover and create a bus gate to transfer passengers to international flights at TBIT. The Delta project is scheduled for completion in 2023 and the new Southwest terminal in 2020.

Even with fully modernized terminals, one of the chief complaints about LAX is the traffic congestion within the central terminal area. The Chamber has long-supported the airport's congestion solution - a $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP). The centerpiece of this program is a 2.25 mile, six station Automated People Mover (APM), which will connect passengers to the Metro system, a consolidated rental car facility and two intermodal transportation facilities. To take the next step forward on LAMP and the APM, the Board authorized the release of a Request for Proposals, the last component of a three-part solicitation process. Scoring of the proposals will be based on technical qualifications, visual appeal, and the projected user experience to ensure a fair and transparent procurement process that maximizes private sector creativity and innovation.

Unfortunately, in an all too familiar story, CEQA is being abused to oppose the LAMP project. A lawsuit was recently filed to challenge the project's environmental report, claiming traffic and air pollution were not fully analyzed. LAMP was designed to improve mobility and the air environment around LAX; and this lawsuit is an absurd threat to the long-awaited modernization of LAX under the guise of CEQA violations. We've all worked too hard for too long to squander this opportunity to make LAX a 21st century airport.

A big thank you to LAWA, Delta, Southwest and all the businesses that will be submitting their talent and creative ideas to the APM RFP process. I urge the business community to continue to express strong support for these projects, all of which are vital to creating a world-class airport that Los Angeles can be proud of.

And that's The Business Perspective.