Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX), CA, USA

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) forms a crucial part of the economic infrastructure of southern California and is the fifth busiest airport in the world.

Because of the airport's relatively urban setting any major expansion plans are always going to be met with discontent and measured opposition. The airport authority initiated a master plan in 1994 and has been modifying it ever since.

The first phase was to research requirements, the second to develop alternative solutions and the third, begun in 1997, examined the environmental impact, with public consultation taking place during 1999 up to 2003.

The consultation process has continued due to some disagreement over the exact form of the expansion of the airport. The latest public outreach meetings to consider LAX master plan amendments took place in March 2007.

Although most of the specifics have been determined there are still some controversial 'yellow light' projects which could be replaced such as the Manchester Square Ground Transportation Centre, which may be replaced by other proposals that will limit noise and pollution. The final go ahead for these projects should be in place by the middle of 2007.

Initial studies predict more than 157 million passengers and 8.9 million tonnes of freight a year will pass through the region's airports by 2020. In 1997, the last year for which complete data is available, the eight regional airports served 80 million passengers and handled 2.6 million tonnes of cargo. The three planning stages for expanding Los Angeles International Airport have provided four alternatives to manage the requirements that future demand levels will bring.

Alternative D has been chosen as the favoured plan for the expansion of LAX. The cost of the airport reconfiguration has been estimated at $11bn and will only require the acquisition of 78 additional acres of land around the airport, which will of course require the relocation of some homes and businesses.

ALTERNATIVE A

Alternative A adds a new runway on LAX Airport's north airfield approximately 400ft north of the existing runways. This would improve the efficiency and safety of the taxiway structures on both the north and south airfields.

A new west entrance and terminal with additional aircraft gates, rental car facilities and parking would be added. A people-mover would provide passenger access from a new parking garage and the west terminal to new concourses west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and all other terminals. Cargo facilities would be expanded in the south-east corner of the airport.

The improvements included in alternative A would enable Los Angeles International Airport to accommodate approximately 2,700 daily operations by 2015.

Major vehicle access improvements would include the LAX expressway, which would draw traffic off the San Diego (405) freeway and connect to an airport ring road, providing direct access to terminals and cargo areas and thus reducing traffic on the freeway and local streets. High-occupancy vehicle lanes would be developed on area freeways and the Green Line would be extended into the airport to provide a direct service to Los Angeles International Airport.

ALTERNATIVE B

Alternative B would add a new runway to the south, relocating the existing southern runways north in order to increase the lateral spacing between all three runways. All other improvements would be the same as alternative A, although alternative B would allow Los Angeles International Airport to accommodate 2,800 daily operations by 2015.

ALTERNATIVE C

Alternative C would not add any runways to the airfield at Los Angeles International Airport. The outboard northern runway would be relocated and the inboard northern runway would be lengthened to accommodate larger aircraft. A central taxiway would be added between the two northern runways in order to improve safety and operational efficiency.

Other additions would be identical to the other alternatives but alternative C would only allow LAX Airport to accommodate 4.2 million tonnes of cargo and approximately 2,300 daily operations by 2015.

ALTERNATIVE D

A key component of Alternative D is restriction of vehicle access by moving passenger pickup and drop-off from the centre of the airport to a new ground transportation centre near the entrance with eight 1,400ft curbs and a 7,500-space parking garage. An Automated People Mover (APM) would then connect to a new 6.5 million-square-foot terminal complex, which would replace the existing four million-square-foot terminal.

Existing parking structures would have to be demolished to make space for the expanded facility. An intermodal centre situated at the southeast corner of LAX would link light rail and buses to an additional 14,600 parking spaces.

The plan would also include realigning runways, extending the MTA Green Line to the airport and new consolidated car rental facilities. Gate space would be reconfigured to accommodate larger gates for next-generation aircraft. The number of aircraft gates would decrease from the existing 163 to 153.

The mayor of LA believes that these changes would make the airport less of a terrorist target by removing the majority of vehicles from the terminal area and by enabling state-of-the-art screening technology.

The airport is hoping that 2007 will bring news of Federal approval for alternative D, which would enable LAX to accommodate about 80 million annual passengers a year and an additional 3.1 million tonnes of cargo, compared with 67.3 million in 2000, its busiest year. The revamp would be scheduled for completion by 2015.

RUNWAY PROPOSALS

The north runway would be reconfigured to accommodate a central taxiway and to give improved separation between the runways.

The southernmost north runway (runway 24L) would then be relocated approximately 340ft south, which would require the demolition of the existing Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and the northern portion of the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) (the TBIT would be reconfigured). A new satellite concourse would be constructed just west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal to replace the gates demolished.

The satellite concourse would be connected to the Central Terminal Area (CTA) by an underground APM. On the south runway system, the southernmost runway (Runway 25L) would be relocated approximately 50 feet south to accommodate a new centre taxiway between the south runways. The new centre taxiways would significantly improve airfield safety and reduce the possibility of runway incursions.

INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION

A new Intermodal Transportation Centre (ITC) located at the northeast corner of Imperial Highway and Aviation Boulevard will provide the primary short-term parking for the airport with access by APM to the CTA with one stop at the new consolidated car rental facility.

The ITC will improve transit access with a direct connection to the Metro Green Line's Aviation Station and serve as the connecting point for regional transit buses and future MTA rapid buses. A pedestrian bridge with moving walkways will connect the Green Line Imperial / Aviation Station directly to the ITC and the APM system to the CTA.

CONSOLIDATED CAR RENTAL AND APM

The Consolidated Rental Car Facility (RAC) will consolidate all on-airport rental car operations for LAX for the convenience of passengers and improved efficiency for the car rental companies. The new facility is to be connected via the new APM to the CTA and ITC to alleviate the traffic impacts of multiple shuttle buses.

Security screening of passengers and baggage would be introduced for passengers prior to boarding the APM trains. The APM is intended to connect the GTC, RAC, and ITC to the CTA. The trains would be designed to accommodate passengers along with their luggage and trolleys. The service would run every two minutes with a waiting time of just one minute.

TOM BRADLEY INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL RENOVATION

In February 2007 the $723.5m renovation of the Tom Bradley terminal began. This is now set to be the largest individual project in the history of the City of Los Angeles. The ground breaking ceremony occurred on 26 February 2007 and was officiated by the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio R Villaraigosa.

The project will include major interior renovations, installation of an in-line checked-baggage security system, and a second boarding gate for new large aircraft such as the A380.

The construction work will be performed while the terminal is fully operational, which will make the works more complex.

The terminal (one million-square-foot) was first built in 1984 and this will be its first major renovation. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2010 and will add approximately 45,000ft² of space in the terminal and incorporate a $140m, in-line baggage security screening facility.

Passengers will check in, receive their boarding passes and then check their luggage with the airlines, where it will be conveyed to security screening and then to flights. The large explosive detection machines currently in terminal lobbies will be replaced with newer-generation machines with higher efficiency and throughput and moved to the new security facility.

This will effectively reduce congestion in the ticketing lobbies by removing the need for passengers to wait with checked luggage while it undergoes security screening.

TERMINAL RENOVATION FOR COMFORT

The terminal renovation has been designed to make the terminal more comfortable and convenient with interior improvements that include upgrades to the lower / arrivals level lobby and concourses for inbound international passengers, restrooms, accessibility measures for passengers with disabilities, new elevators and escalators, new paging and clearer signage, better temperature control and ventilation, fire and life safety systems, and electrical system.

Additional renovations to the passenger boarding lounge and outside ramp area at Gate 123 on the north end of the terminal concourse will effectively create a second gate to accommodate the new generation of jets such as the Airbus 380 and Boeing 747-800.

Another gate on the south end of the terminal concourse (Gate 101) was renovated in mid 2006 to accommodate the new jets in advance of test flights to increase airport compliance as it will need to accommodate larger planes as it is a major Asian feeder hub.

NEW LOUNGES

There will be four new mega lounges with new amenities and furnishings, which will replace 16 individual lounges and expand the terminal's overall lounge space to 47,000ft² (an increase of 72%). Three of the new lounges will serve airline alliances, and the fourth is for customers of airlines not affiliated with an alliance.

TECHNOLOGY

The terminal will receive new modern technology such as dynamic video monitors that automatically update flight status and information technology components that support the upgrades and promote better passenger flow.

LEED STANDARDS

This project will be the first at Los Angeles Airport to incorporate Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards developed by the US Green Building Council.

The terminal will receive newer, more efficient heating / ventilation / air conditioning systems and more efficient electrical and lighting systems, which will reduce energy consumption, while new plumbing systems will increase water conservation. Over 75% of the construction and demolition waste will be recycled or salvaged, and the design will feature local and sustainable building materials and finishes.

FINANCIAL

The project to renovate the terminal is due to last 38 months (completed by March 2010). The overall cost is $723.5m; cost for the construction work is $503.5m with a $72.1m contingency (total $575.6m).

The airport has already invested $147.9m on architectural and engineering designs, purchase of new passenger loading bridges, and construction of the first boarding gate for next-generation jets, lounges and terminal operations offices.

The project is being funded by a combination of sources, including passenger facility charges, airline reimbursements and airport revenues. The US Transportation Security Administration has already agreed to a letter of intent for partial reimbursement for the in-line baggage security screening system.

CONSTRUCTION

Construction will be carried out by Clark / McCarthy Joint Venture, which is comprised of Clark Construction Group based in Bethesda, MD, and McCarthy Building Companies of St. Louis, MO. O'Connor Construction Management are providing cost estimating, CPM scheduling, phasing studies, constructability analysis and value engineering.