SUCCESS! PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REMOVED FROM LAX CENTRAL TERMINAL AREA

05/17/2019 12:00 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2019

Contact:
Charles H. Pannunzio
(424) 646-5260
Clockwise from top left, the area of the Parking Structure 6 pedestrian bridge is seen before, during and after its removal this week.
SUCCESS! PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REMOVED FROM LAX CENTRAL TERMINAL AREA

(Los Angeles, CA) Following two nights of painstakingly precise work, construction crews have successfully removed the pedestrian bridge between Terminal 6 and Parking Structure 6 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), marking a major milestone in the construction of an Automated People Mover, slated to open in 2023. The work was completed in a way that minimized the impact on airport guests, with complete closures of the roadway taking place after 2 a.m., during the time period with the fewest vehicles.

"We marvel at modern engineering and the teamwork it engendered to remove this pedestrian bridge in the heart of the central terminal area, yet this is but one of many challenging construction activities in our modernization program,” said Deborah Flint, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports. “We will continue to use innovative approaches to construction projects so we can minimize impacts on guests while we safely deliver the world-class airport Los Angeles deserves.”

Work to prepare the bridge for demolition has been going on for nearly a month, and included removal of flooring, glass and stairs to reduce its weight. On Thursday morning, a 50-foot section of the bridge that crossed the Lower/Arrivals Level was hoisted by a crane, with demolition taking place in a nearby parking lot outside of travel lanes later that day. Early this morning, the 75-foot section that crossed the Upper/Departures Level was similarly moved, and demolition is taking place today. 

To complete the demolition, crews will break down the crane and remove bridge shoring, then demolish the support columns, with work expected to wrap up by the middle of next week. Two lanes on the Lower/Arrivals Level and one lane on the Upper/Departures Level will remain closed this weekend, and overnight lane restrictions will take place early next week.

The bridge is being demolished so construction can begin on a new terminal core, which will contain the elevators and escalators needed to reach the walkway to an Automated People Mover (APM) station to be located near the iconic Theme Building. A total of seven cores will be built as part of the APM project. 

The bridge to Parking Structure 6 was among eight crossings built to connect the terminals to the parking structures, most of which were built in the 1980s as part of the “New LAX” projects ahead of the 1984 Olympic Games. The work also added the second-level roadway and buildings to connect the ticketing buildings to the satellite concourses above ground.

 

A bridge connecting Parking Structure 4 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal was demolished in October 2012, as part of the project to install new art deco light poles into the central terminal area. Bridges at Terminals 2, 3, and 4 will be removed at a later date as part of the terminal cores project.

 

A timelapse video of the bridge demolition activities is in production, and will be released after the construction project is completed. Contact laxpr@lawa.org for more information or high-resolution photos.

Sparks fly during the cutting of the pedestrian bridge during Thursday's early morning demolition.

The final 75-foot section of the Parking Structure 6 bridge is lifted by a crane on Friday morning.

A portion of the bridge sits in the Lower/Arrivals Level outer lanes near Terminal 6 on Friday morning.

The bridge sections were further demolished in a parking lot to reduce the impact on airport guests.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 

LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.  


LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. 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 was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named  a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with 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.flyLAX.com or follow on Twitter   @flyLAXAirport, on Facebook at   www.facebook.com/LAInternationalAirport, and on YouTube at   www.YouTube.com/laxairport1.  

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.

Back To Top