Los Angeles International Airport has had problems with car congestion for decades. Traffic on World Way, the main road that circles around the airport’s terminal area, frequently has gridlock all the way onto Century Blvd or the Airport Tunnel.
To help with the traffic backup, a second level was added to World Way in the 1980s. It helped for a while, but by the early 2000s, traffic backups were once again the norm. A $15 billion modernization project, including an automated people mover (APM) between terminals was announced in the early 2000s.
The 2.25-mile automated, elevated rail system, which will cost $2 billion all by itself, will connect airport terminals with parking lots, a new central rental car facility, and offer a direct connection with the LA Metro light rail system, which is about 2.4 miles away (right now there’s a shuttle bus to the Aviation/LAX station, which only adds to the traffic issues).
The APM project was approved in 2018 and was scheduled to open in 2023.
Earlier this year, the completion date was changed to April, 2025.
And now? Now the L.A. Times is reporting the APM may not be completed until late 2025.
The Times report cites information from credit agency Fitch Ratings, which has downgraded the bond rating for the project over a reportedly strained relationship between the airport and LAX Integrated Express Solutions, the project contractor.
An LAX spokeswoman told the Times the airport is in “active discussions … to resolve outstanding claims and has no additional information at this time.”
And traffic around LAX remains a mess.
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1 comment
Los Angeles could be the most corrupt large city in the USA, which is quite an accomplishment. The original Metro plans called for a station right in the middle of the terminal horseshoe, but the taxi cartel made sure that mass transit was nowhere near the airport.