Terminals to Receive Makeovers
By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
April 21, 2009
Expect some much-needed repairs and improvements to three terminals at Los Angeles International Airport, a task that airport director Gina Marie Lindsey has likened to putting "lipstick on a pig."
While a complete overhaul of Terminals 1, 3 and 6 would be preferred, there are a series of inexpensive, quick-fix solutions that can improve the look of the outdated buildings within a year, according to Ellen Wright, an architect for Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that operates LAX.
"We've got paint, we've got carpet and like a home, we need to de-clutter," Wright told the airport commission Tuesday.
Terminal 1 has seen no real improvements since it was built to handle an influx of travelers during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Terminals 3 and 6, built in 1961, have also deteriorated since they were last renovated during the mid-1980s.
The cosmetic touch-ups, preliminarily estimated to cost $4 million to $5 million per terminal, call for fresh coats of paint, laying new carpet, hanging new signs, installing new lights and creating new lobby space. Airport officials also plan to move luggage carts and other passenger amenities that obstruct passenger walkways through the terminals.
"The needs are more extensive than just putting lipstick on a pig," Lindsey said. "The needs are for renovations of the bones, kind of like what we are doing now with the existing Tom Bradley International Terminal, but that would take a long time and would be more expensive than what we can afford to do right now."