LA Council Approves LAX Bradley Terminal Contracts
By Art Marroquin, Staff Writer
November 4, 2009
The Los Angeles City Council signed off Wednesday on a pair of construction contracts totaling $1.13 billion aimed at expanding facilities for overseas travelers and super-sized jumbo jetliners passing through Los Angeles International Airport.
Under the terms of the contracts, Walsh Austin Joint Venture will be charged with adding 1 million square feet to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
The contractor will also build nine new airline gates capable of accommodating the next generation of jetliners, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with two of those gates set to open in January 2012.
Construction of the massive terminal expansion, dubbed "Bradley West," is expected to start in January and wrap by mid-2013, funded primarily by the sale of airport bonds and fees charged to the airlines and passengers.
"This is a great day for us," said Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose district includes LAX.
"It's getting better every day at LAX," he said. "We're seeing the progress being made."
The Bradley terminal's old concourse area will be demolished, while two entirely new concourses will be built on the north and south sides of the building, leading to the addition of 1 million square feet for ticketing desks, baggage claim areas, security screening, lounges, shops and restaurants.
Plans also call for expanding the federal customs inspection area and building a pair of secured corridors connecting with Terminals 3 and 4 to provide easier access for airline passengers catching another flight.
"We're not just adding some gates to the other side of the terminal. We're building an entirely new terminal and expanding it out west," said Airport Commission President Alan Rothenberg.
"With the approval of these contracts, we will literally be ready to put the shovel in the ground and get to work," he said. "And we pledge we will do it on time and on budget."
LAX's goal to complete the new airline gates within four years comes from an outdated projection that the airport by 2012 would serve 14 to 16 daily Airbus A380 flights, more than any other North American airport.
Officials now expect to handle nine daily Airbus A380 flights by 2012 because the global recession has forced the airlines to slow their demands for the behemoth, double-decked jetliner.
"They are still coming, but it's going to be slowed down," said Gina Marie Lindsey, LAX's executive director.
Last month, the council approved an environmental impact report for the Bradley West project, which was green-lighted as part of a legal settlement reached in 2005 with the county, three airport-adjacent cities and a community group opposed to airport expansion.
Officials expect the Bradley project to generate an estimated 4,000 construction jobs, even as fewer overseas travelers are passing through LAX due to the recession.
"This is our economic stimulus package in Los Angeles," Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn said. "We want to make sure everyone benefits from this."
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