LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Construction is underway on massive columns for the Automated People Mover project, which is part of the $14 billion Landside Access Modernization Program at Los Angeles International Airport.
The first columns in the LAX Central Terminal Area will support the future East Central Terminal Area Station.
“With the first columns rising above the Central Terminal Area, we can see a reimagined LAX taking shape,” said Justin Erbacci, interim CEO of Los Angeles World Airports.
The 68-foot-tall columns will connect the Center Way, East CTA Station to Terminal 7 and Parking Structure 1 via elevated pedestrian bridges. A viewing area will be located on the west end of the station facing a horizon of “futurist architecture” that originated in Los Angeles, LAWA officials said.
The East CTA Station will be located near intermodal transportation facilities and the Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility.
“For a project of this scale and magnitude, there is a tremendous amount of work that must be done before vertical construction starts,” said Sharon Gookin, the project director for LAX Integrated Express Solutions, the developer of the people mover. “The completion of the first station columns is an exciting milestone for everyone working on the project.”
LAWA officials said the columns are being constructed with reusable and recyclable steel and lumber, which will support up to 250,000 pounds.
The APM is a 2.25-mile elevated electric train system that will transport travelers in and out of the CTA, and is the centerpiece of the airport's modernization program.
The people mover by itself is slated to cost about $5 billion and will feature three stations inside the CTA, which will connect to the terminals via elevated pedestrian walkways, and three stations outside the CTA, which will connect to new off-site parking facilities, regional light rail transportation and rent-a-car facilities.
Passenger service is slated to begin in 2023.
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