LOS ANGELES | LAX Modernization Plan

[citywatch]

I didn't realize a new terminal was being built at LAX way to the west & north of the horseshoe area...

• Video Link

[Quixote]

Renderings for "Concourse 0." This won't win any architectural design awards, but it's more or less in keeping with the visual language of the new APM stations and what I think would work best if we were to theoretically demolish the entire airport and start from scratch.


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA


PGAL, via Urbanize LA

[LAsam]

^Makes sense. With the new infrastructure there won't be any need for the LAX-IT rideshare hub that's currently there, nor the smattering of parking. May as well get more airport gates instead. That car entrance to the airport is a complete $hit$how as well... so good riddance.

[edale]

Concourse 0 looks fine. Seems like a good idea to expand into the LAXit lots since those will be going away once the APM/off-site uber and lyft area opens.

Speaking of, I saw that the APM opening date has been pushed back yet again. Now it's projected to open at the end of 2025...a year after the scheduled date. So incredibly frustrating, as getting into and out of the central terminal area has never been worse. It's an absolute shit show getting in and out of there, and it's just so unpleasant. I parked in the economy garage last time I flew out of LAX in early March. It was pretty smooth taking the bus over from the garage on the way out, but when I came back, it sucked. I picked up the shuttle at the Delta terminal 2 and had to take the shuttle around the horseshoe. It took FOREVER- not only due to the gridlocked traffic, but also from the bus stopping at every terminal. The shuttle was also so crammed with people and bags. We were at capacity by the time we left TBIT, and yet we still loaded more people in at the rest of the terminals. The people mover will be such a vast improvement, and it's really pissing me off that the opening day continues to be pushed back. This city absolutely sucks at building infrastructure. Maybe it's not a problem unique to LA, but it sure feels like it's worse here than other places. LAX is complete hell.

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by edale

Speaking of, I saw that the APM opening date has been pushed back yet again. Now it's projected to open at the end of 2025...a year after the scheduled date.

I was talking with someone that works for LAWA and it sounded like they were surprised by how long the testing period needed to be. Evidently, it takes 6 months of testing after the project is completed before it can open to the public.

[hughfb3]

Thank you for posting Quixote!! Concourse 0 will be fine. But This delay on the people mover is really annoying! The LAXit lot was always meant to be temporary for LAWA and the app services to get accustomed to operating a centralized pick up/drop off area for ride share/taxis and for customers to get used to going off site for these services. Remember the mess that was the first months LAXit? The apps were a mess, people waiting for almost 2 hours for Ubers, I was one of those people on a few occasions. They’ve since worked all this out and that was the point LAXit, all in preparation for the new west ITF operations to run smooth and for the crush load of the Olympics to go off without a hitch.

Does anyone know why the west station is beefed up more than the other stations in the CTA? It has its own brand new elevated road connection and there is extra glass enclosures, it’s also the only station with an extra cable supported roofline. Is this an eastward expansion of Bradley?

I’ve been at LAX quite a bit in the last month and have been in terminals 1-6. Quick update. T4 is coming along with its satellite's building shell being complete, interior work has commenced. Also, the new 4.5 headhouse extension into T4 has completed framing and is fully topped out with interior work commencing. T2 is just still overcrowded. The SeaLegs wine bar needs to be taken out to allow for more space for seating and cue lines for the many gates at that side of the terminal. Please Delta, delete this waste of space. T6 is continuing along with its satellite renovations. T5 has gone downhill since Delta departed for 2/3. Maybe American will spruce up? But I doubt it. Bradley west gates south extension area is doing grading and blocked off, I assume for electrical and plumbing to prepare for the on site assembly of the terminal.

[edale]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

T2 is just still overcrowded. The SeaLegs wine bar needs to be taken out to allow for more space for seating and cue lines for the many gates at that side of the terminal. Please Delta, delete this waste of space.

I observed the same thing. I'm hopeful that the former security area in T2 will be converted to passenger space. Relocate the wine bar and put some seating there, and I think it'd help quite a bit. That security area was really large, so that could be a great area to claim some much needed space for people to spread out a bit.

Also, I know there's the new Delta lounge just past security in the area between T2 and T3. The lounge used to be on the second floor of T2. I'm assuming that old one has closed? If that space was made available to the general public, that could also help alleviate some overcrowding issues.

[Quixote]

Concourse 0, an extension of Terminal 1, will produce 9 net new gates.

The MSC South will yield 8 new gates.

The proposed Terminal 9 would add another 12-18 gates.

Not counting bus/remote gates, this should bring the gate total to about 180 (low end). For comparison, ATL has a total of 192 gates and is an order of magnitude busier than LAX in terms of annual passenger traffic. I think that should be more than enough capacity to meet demand.

Once this is realized, I think we can start thinking about demolishing existing terminals, starting with 7/8.

The problem with LAX, and indeed LA in general, is that there seems to be a lack of a long-term vision. Considering we don’t have a true secondary airport (Ontario could be it once there’s HSR and improved Metrolink service, but it’d still be more of a Gatwick than a Newark), thinking about how to remake LAX into an airport of the 21st century and one that serves such a prominent city would seem like a sensible thing to do.

It’d be great if we could demolish the entire thing and start from scratch. The next best, and realistic, option is to rebuild it little by little. That includes a willingness to make drastic changes, such as removing all parking garages in the CTA to an off-site location and replacing them with additional terminal space. Or annexing land north of Century and east of Aviation.

[craigs]

There is no widely-regarded "second" airport for greater Los Angeles but the region's medium-sized airports serve a lot of passengers combined: John Wayne (5,536,313 in 2022), Burbank (3,054,729 in 2022), and Ontario (2,840,758 in 2022). That's a combined total of 11,431,800 passengers in 2022--comparable to the number of passengers who passed through Reagan National and nearly 300k more than through San Diego International that same year. We would really feel the difference at LAX if those three airports stopped serving passengers.

[Quixote]

^ That's nothing compared to the JFK/LGA or ORD/MDW split.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Quixote

^ That's nothing compared to the JFK/LGA or ORD/MDW split.

I wasn't comparing LA with NYC or Chicago. I was pointing out that, combined, the other three regional airports here handle a lot of passengers. If everyone had to go through LAX it would be hell on Earth.

[bzcat]

LAWA approved the LAX terminal wayfinding project at the April meeting so this is moving forward.

• Concourse 0 is logically signed as Concourse A of T1
• Current T2 and T3 will become become T2 which is already the current configuration with only 1 combined landside facility.
• TBIT becomes T3.
• T4 and T5 are confusingly separate unlike the north side terminals. After the AA renovation, T4 and T5 will become a single landside terminal so keeping the separate designation is inconsistent and will be confusing.
• Current T8 finally goes away and properly labeled as concourse L of T7. This is one of those WFT thing at LAX that always bothered me because T8 didn't have landside access, it was always strange that it was designated as a separate terminal. You couldn't be dropped off at T8 nor pick anyone up there.
• Proposed T9 becomes T8.
• Eagles Nest goes away as expected.

When all the current construction and planned new builds are done, LAX will have 6 terminals with multiple concourses and one baby terminal.

Large Terminal: T1, T2, T4, T7, T8
Baby Terminal: T6

The full report is here: https://lawa.granicus.com/MetaViewer...&meta_id=67750

[sopas ej]

At least testing has finally begun...

From Urbanize Los Angeles:

Budget grows for LAX people mover as testing begins

The 2.25-mile system is scheduled to open for passengers in late 2025

MAY 06, 2024, 8:00AM STEVEN SHARP



Vehicle testing is now underway for the new LAX automated people mover system, the airport announced last week via social media.

The milestone occurs as officials with airport officials take steps to address recent delays that have set back to the project's expected debut date to late 2025. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Board of Airport Commissioners has approved an additional $200 million in funding for the project to settle claims made by its contractor. That swells the total budget for the system to $2.9 million, but keeps it on track to begin service in advance of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Work on the 2.25-mile system, which may be named "SkyLink," is more than 95 percent complete at this point in time. When it opens, it will shuttle passengers between three stops in the LAX central terminal area and two new ground transportation hubs located to the east, as well as a new Metro Rail connection and a massive car rental hub.

[...]

[Jun]

Just came out of the LAX horseshoe after almost 2 hours, APM cant come fast enough. They should've flattened some of the parking structures tbh

[citywatch]

^ Now Dec....2025.


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[TowerDude]

They really need to build a "Venue" Loop of the APM that connects to SoFi and Intuit Dome that has transfers to and from the LAX APM.

[LAsam]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

They really need to build a "Venue" Loop of the APM that connects to SoFi and Intuit Dome that has transfers to and from the LAX APM.

Would need to run underground since there's no right of way from the APM terminus to SoFi/Intuit/Forum that I'm aware of. The alternative solution is that Inglewood is planning a streetcar from the K Line station at Downtown Inglewood to those venues.

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by TowerDude

They really need to build a "Venue" Loop of the APM that connects to SoFi and Intuit Dome that has transfers to and from the LAX APM.

Another way would be if the Inglewood people mover would choose Skytrain technology from Vancouver's Expo & Millennium lines which is the exact same technology as the Detroit people mover and JFK airport AirTrain. This could then tie in with the future Sepulveda Line from Van Nuys to LAX which is also considering Vancouver skytrain technology should Sepulveda Transit Partners choose the tech and should they be chosen by Metro.

LAX's people mover technology is strictly airport people mover, but Skytrain technology is flexible in that it doubles as both rapid transit and airport people mover with its scalable tech platform.

[citywatch]

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