FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 29, 2022

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LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260

 

The pedestrian bridge structure will connect Tom Bradley International Terminal to the West Central Terminal Area Automated People Mover station.

(Los Angeles) The ongoing transformation of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) took another step forward today as Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) announced the successful placement of the sixth and final Automated People Mover (APM) pedestrian bridge structure over World Way, with closed roadways reopening ahead of schedule on three of the four nights of work. Once complete, the bridge will connect the Tom Bradley International Terminal to the future West Central Terminal Area (CTA) station, and brings the entire project to near completion for structural steel.

 

"The placement of the final pedestrian bridge structure is yet another remarkable achievement on our journey to reimagine the travel experience at LAX, while continuing to operate the fifth-busiest airport in the world,” said Justin Erbacci, Chief Executive Officer, LAWA. “We thank our passengers for their patience with this project, which sets the final steel for the bridges that will soon allow our passengers to have an entirely reimagined experience accessing our airport. The result of our transformation, which is now coming into view, will be a totally new LAX from the curb to the gate, and we can’t wait to share it with our city and our guests.”

 

The operation included the lifting and assembly of four partially pre-fabricated steel trusses above World Way over the course of four nights. The separate segments, supported by a shoring tower, were then bolted together to create the structural frame of the bridge. The project team then began installing floor and roof beams to complete the pedestrian bridge’s structural steel.

 

The four sections of steel placed weighed more than 270,000 pounds combined. Together, the six APM pedestrian bridges placed over World Way were built with more than 3,600 tons of steel, bringing the APM project total to more than 9,000tons.

 

“This major structural steel operation signals the approach of construction completion on the APM project,” said Sam Choy, LINXS Constructors Project Director. “Next, we will build off of these construction milestones with the establishment of APM systems and train car testing.”

 

The APM pedestrian bridges over World Way are currently under varying stages of construction:

• Terminal 4.5 to the West CTA station
  - Placed in June 2021, with decking, roofing, glass and metal panels complete
  - Currently installing electrical components
• Terminal 2 to the Center CTA station
  - Placed in September 2021, with decking, roofing, glass and metal panels complete
  - Currently installing the metal ceiling
• Terminal 3 to the West CTA station
  - Placed in January 2022, with decking, roofing and glass complete
  - Currently installing metal panels and electrical components
• Terminal 1 Extension to the Center CTA station
  - Placed in March 2022, with decking, roofing, glass and metal panels complete
  - Currently installing moving walkway components
• Terminal 5.5 to the Center CTA station
  - Placed in April 2022, with decking and roofing nearing completion

Work also continues on the bridge structure connections to the APM stations. These overhead walkways, which now border many CTA parking structures and the LAX Theme Building, are currently being fitted with decking and roofing elements. Similar operations on an additional walkway, located over Parking Structure 7, are scheduled to begin later this year. The structure will connect the East CTA station to the existing Terminal 7 pedestrian bridge.

 

The installation of the pedestrian bridge’s structural steel follows last month’s milestone, the steel topping out of the largest and final APM station, which will connect the train system to Terminals 3, 4, 5 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The last structural steel will be used to build the Theme Building viewing platform on the west side of the East CTA station later this fall.

 

To learn more about the ongoing transformation, visit FlyLAX.com/TransformingLAX.

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

LAX, the fifth-busiest airport in the world in 2021 with 48 million passengers, is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement program that will touch on all nine passenger terminals and build new facilities, including an Automated People Mover (APM) train, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) facility and the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal.

 

In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines.

LAX generates 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 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 (LAWA), a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City's general fund.

LAWA is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices, with initiatives related to water management, energy (electricity) management, air quality, recycling and natural resources management. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airports Council International-Europe.

LAWA is also a leader in inclusivity, operating eight programs that provide opportunities for business enterprises including local, small, minority-owned, veteran-owned and disadvantaged firms, and working together with community partners to offer the HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program, which targets local workers to make them ready for rewarding careers in the construction trades, and the Build LAX Academy, designed to prepare small contracting businesses for success when working on projects at LAX.

LAX was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX in 2018, and was honored as the "Most Innovative Airport for Passenger Experience" in 2019 by the American Association of Airport Executives. LAX is the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. Other recent honors have included selection as the No. 9 Best Airport (Wall Street Journal); No. 7 Best On-Time Performance for a Mega-Hub Airport (OAG); one of "The World's Best Airports for Business Travelers" (GlobeHunters); Public-Private Partnership of the Year (P3 Bulletin); Urth Caffe, Best Airport Coffee Concession of the Year (Global FAB Awards); Innovation of the Year, Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility (ARTBA); Best Project, United Airlines Terminal 7 and 8 Redevelopment Program (Engineering News Record California); North American Public-Private Partnership Deal of the Year (IJ Global); and Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year, Automated People Mover (WTS LA).

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.

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