As the unveiling of the long-awaited Automated People Mover (APM) at LAX approaches, the airport approved another project to provide for an easier travel day- this one costing more than $1 billion
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) unanimously voted yes to creating a new system of elevated roadways going in and out of the airport. These new roadways would be constructed to replace 4.4 miles of roads that enter and exit LAX, focusing on various “pinch points and traffic jams, particularly along Sepulveda [Boulevard],” according to Emery Molnar, an LAX executive.
John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), claims the project will make “traveling through LAX smoother and safer,” he said. “It’s about creating an elevated experience for our guests, team members and the local community, and we are doing it in a way that will bring millions of dollars in economic benefit to the local community members and businesses.”
LAX has famously been described as a difficult experience for travelers. There’s an entire Reddit thread dedicated to the airport titled: ‘The worst airport I’ve ever been to.’ Many of the qualms the public has are attributed to the difficulty of being able to reach one’s terminal, due to extensive car traffic. The main issue causing this traffic is the pick-up and drop-off areas in the horseshoe, which many residents of the Westchester area pointed out to airport commissioners before their vote on Thursday.
LAX previously attempted to address these growing complaints when it began creation of the APM, also known as SkyLink, described on the LAWA website as an electric train that would provide access to LAX terminals, parking and pickup and drop-off curbs, in addition to connecting guests and employees to the Los Angeles regional Metro rail system.
This train was set to be released for public use in 2023. The APM, also called SkyLink, was pushed back to being released in 2026, costing nearly $880 million more than initially planned.
One of the two companies selected to build the new roadways, FlatironDragados, a part of the larger LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS), which the city hired in 2018 to design and build the APM. This raises concerns as to when the roadways project will actually be completed, and how much it will end up costing the city.
Work on ingress roadways is expected to be completed before the 2028 Summer Olympics, with egress roadways expected to be completed by 2030.
